LADY SPIKERS TAME LADY TAMS

MANILA, Philippines — La Salle ushered in its redemption tour in style, battering Far Eastern U, 25-19, 25-14, 27-25, in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball opener yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Spikers erased a four-point deficit in the third set to complete a mighty straight-sets win against fellow title contender in a statement win from a runner-up finish last season.

Shevana Laput led the way with 23 points on 20 hits, two blocks and an ace, anchoring La Salle’s strong finishing kick in the extended third frame for the win in 93 minutes.

Former MVP Angel Canino and middle blocker Amie Provido chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively, for La Salle, which had a 1-2 start last season, matching the school’s worst in almost two decades including an opening-day loss to reigning champion National U.

La Salle, champion of Season 85 but was only bridesmaid to NU in their two other finals, found no problem in dispatching FEU in the first two sets marked by a rousing 11-point win in the second.

But the Lady Spikers yielded to the strong resistance by the Lady Tamaraws the next set, staring at a 12-16 deficit before Laput took over the game.

The 6-foot-2 Laput, sister of PBA player James from Magnolia, anchored a 6-0 blast to retake the lead at 18-16 then another 3-1 finisher to escape from the deuce.

Earlier, seasoned Italian mentor Fabio Menta had a winning debut as the rejigged University of the Philippines dumped University of the East, 25-12, 25-9, 21-25, 25-19.

2026-02-14T16:31:30Z