La Salle was at match point against Ateneo Sunday when Michelle Gumabao and Abigail Marano bumped into each other and lost a scoring opportunity, drawing laughs from the gallery at The Arena in San Juan. That miscue was one of only a few errors the Lady Archers committed as they cruised to a 25-18, 25-11, 25-12 win against the Lady Eagles, their 11th in 12 matches to solidify their lead in the standings.
Using their height to the hilt, the Lady Archers have fortified their defense at the net this season, which was evident in their match against Ateneo.
“We really concentrated on our blocking against Ateneo," said La Salle coach Ramil De Jesus. “Ateneo is a fast team, so the only way you can stop them is through blocking."
La Salle’s defensive-mindedness shows in the statistics, as three of their players are among the top 10 in the blocks category — Gumabao, Marano, and Jacqueline Alarca.
After Sunday’s games, Gumabao has blocked 31 points that translated into points, which is second in the league behind Ria Sante of National University, who has 36. Marano and Alarca are right up there in the list with 24 and 23 blocks, respectively.
Against Ateneo, the Lady Archers had eight blocks, with Alarca tallying a game-high five swats.
“They are tall players but you can't say they're slow," said De Jesus.
La Salle will face University of the Philippines on Wednesday before finishing the elimination round with a rematch against University of Santo Tomas on Sunday.
But with only two games to go and the twice-to-beat advantage already in the bag, De Jesus’ only worry is that the team stay healthy until the semifinals stretch.
“Hopefully, no one gets hurt and everybody remains in tip-top condition," said De Jesus.
- KY, RCJ, GMA News
