La Salle, UP clash for joint lead at UAAP

UAAP Women's Volleyball La Salle and UP Eye Joint Lead as They Clash

The stage is set for a thrilling showdown in the UAAP Season 88 women's volleyball tournament. On Wednesday, De La Salle University (DLSU) and the University of the Philippines (UP) will clash at the Araneta Coliseum, with both teams eyeing a joint lead alongside defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs.

The undefeated La Salle Lady Spikers and UP Fighting Maroons will meet at 3 p.m. in a highly anticipated match that promises to showcase the best of women's volleyball. Both teams have made impressive starts to the season, with La Salle securing back-to-back wins over University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses and UP handing Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) Blue Eagles their first loss.

La Salle's Shevana Laput led her team to a 25-14, 25-15, 26-24 victory over UST last Sunday, finishing with 22 points and 3 digs. As the team captain, Laput cited the Lady Spikers' desire for redemption as motivation for this season.

As seniors, we've had that heartbreak in the past two seasons, and we definitely want to come into this season and redeem ourselves, Laput said. We believe it's truly ours, and at the end of the day, it's a mind game all about who wants it more.

Meanwhile, UP's Fina Ali, a foreign student-athlete from Nigeria, made an impressive debut with 13 points off the bench in their reverse sweep against Ateneo. Ali credited her confidence boost to her performance.

I feel my confidence is well boosted now, she said. I feel I can do better, and this is just like a plus sign for me. It's kind of like reminding me that I have more to give.

In the day's opening match at 1 p.m., Ateneo and UST will look to claim their first win of the season against each other. Both teams are tied in sixth and seventh places with an 0-2 slate, just above University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, who remain winless.

Keywords UAAP Women's Volleyball, La Salle, UP, National University

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