De La Salle University showed its formidable form in the knockout semifinal of the 2024 Shakey's Super League Collegiate Pre-season Championship, winning a five-set thriller against University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Lady Spikers fought back from a loss in the extended first set to claim a 26-28, 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 15-13 triumph against the Golden Tigresses.
The Lady Spikers' strong second-set finish carried over to the third set, where the Golden Tigresses struggled with attack errors and service issues, allowing DLSU to maintain their advantage with a seven-point lead right out of the gate.
Behind the dynamic trio of Shevana Laput, Amie Provido, and Angel Canino, Lady Spikers rallied from 19-14, to win the third set, 25-20.
UST, however, jumped out to a 16-7 lead in the fourth set that led to a winner-take-all fifth set.
The two squads exchanged points to begin the intense deciding frame, but Laput and Canino took charge in the closing stretch to put the Lady Spikers in control.
Laput finished with 19 points on 15 kills, two blocks, and two aces to help seal the victory for the Taft-based spikers.
"I just knew that I had to step up, I had to be there for my team and be a reliable player for them," said Laput who was hailed as MVP of the game.
"But I know, it was a team effort, always a team effort. There's no one person who finishes the poise, there's no one person who gets the MVP match. All of us are MVP right now," she added.
DLSU made a sweet comeback after missing last year's tournament, securing their spot in the best-of-three finals while waiting for the NU Lady Bulldogs and FEU Lady Tamaraws to face off.
Angge Poyos had 17 points on 17 attacks for UST, which will now compete for the bronze medal.
