Lady Patriots bow to defending champs Blue Hawks, end title bid with silver

The DLSU-D Lady Patriots yielded to the defending champions Lady Blue Hawks of the Immaculada Concepcion College (ICC), 1-4, during the last leg of the 30th National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA) women’s volleyball held at Ugnayang La Salle (ULS) last August 9.

Settling for silver, the green-and-white concluded this year’s stint with a struggle in the best-of-three finals showdown, where the Patriots finished with a 0-2 standing against the undefeated champions.  

Both the Patriots and Blue Hawks faced each other last year with mirrored results as the Dasmariñas-hopefuls failed to notch a set against the twice-to-beat Hawks. 

With new faces on their roster, the Patriots delivered within their might, leading two athletes from the team into mythical spots. Leira Patrice Aure was named the best digger after her notable floor defense, while Frances Sean Lyonna Quintana was hailed as the best server of the season.

Compared to their performance in game one, the Patriots managed to avert a total collapse in their last stand as they were previously swept by the champs in an overwhelming 0-3 clash.

In the do-or-die game two of the finals, the Patriots hacked out an early onslaught through searing opposite attacks in addition to the Blue Hawks fanning the flames with their error-prone plays, eventually closing the first set in their odds, 25-21.

Despite nailing down a set, the Caloocan-based volleybelles found their footing to hack out a comfortable five-point lead in the initial scenes of the second frame, which eventually immobilized the Lady Patriots to recover. 

The Patriots were unable to get back on track as the Blue Hawks kept the decisive command of the match, eventually taking over the game and securing three sets for the crown.

 

Photo slider by Imee Antonette Ocampo