DLSU closes in on second-round sweep vs listless Lady Warriors

Games on Wednesday
(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
9 a.m. – UE vs DLSU (Men)
11 a.m. – UE vs DLSU (Women)
3 p.m. – AdU vs UP (Men)
5 p.m. – AdU vs UP (Women)

BARRING a monumental upset, De La Salle University (DLSU) could move on the cusp of a second-round sweep on Wednesday to shore up its redemption tour in the UAAP Season 88.

The mighty DLSU Lady Spikers are heavily favored to post their 13th win in a row against the listless University of the East (UE) in the final week of the two-round eliminations for a goal of advancing straight to the finals at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

La Salle is already assured of the top seeding and a twice-to-beat incentive given a traditional Final Four format but is determined on upgrading it to an outright berth in the best-of-three finals against whoever survives the grueling stepladder play.

The Lady Spikers attempt to zero in on that bid at 11 a.m. against UE (0-12) that’s in the middle of a 26-game skid before a final hurdle to pass against no less than titleholder National University (NU) (9-3) this Sunday. At 5 p.m., Adamson University (AdU) (7-5) clashes against the University of the Philippines (UP) (5-7) to break free from a logjam with University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Far Eastern University (FEU) at third to fourth place.

The spikers from Taft, however, would like to cross the bridge when they get there, wanting no stumble as they approach the homestretch with the target on their back getting bigger each day to spoil a 14-0 sweep.

If La Salle is out for a steady momentum entering the postseason, Adamson is in a must-win set-to to gain a solo third spot and boost its Final Four chances since its last appearance in 2023. A win would also keep a slim hope of snatching the other twice-to-beat edge from the second-running NU.

The AdU Lady Falcons are gridlocked with UST Golden Tigresses and the FEU Lady Tamaraws for the last two semifinal spots as UP stays in contention but with the slimmest of chances by needing all other scenarios to fall in its favor, on top of needing to win its final two matches.

And Adamson has no plans of getting foiled.

In the men’s division, La Salle (5-7) tries to keep its playoff hopes alive against the also-ran UE (2-10) at 9 a.m. while eliminated squads UP (3-9) and Adamson (2-10) go for graceful exits at 3 p.m. — John Bryan Ulanday