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La Salle's Noel Kampton (9)
(UAAP Media Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines -- The Final Four cast in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament is complete.
The La Salle Green Spikers punched the fourth and final semifinal spot after grinding out a five-set win over the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 11-25, 25-18, 25-21, 28-30, 15-9, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
La Salle dug deep and quelled a furious run by the Fighting Maroons, who fought hard to stay alive but ultimately fell short.
Noel Kampton powered the Taft-based squad with 24 points on 22 attacks and two blocks. Rui Ventura added 16 points while Nath del Pilar had 11.
After dropping the first set in lopsided fashion, La Salle flexed its muscles and grabbed a two-sets-to-one lead with dominating frames.
But the Maroons, fighting for their lives, refused to back down, forcing a fifth set following a service ace by Olayemi Raheem.
And in the fifth set, the two squads were still kept in a close fight, tied at 5-all.
Back-to-back hits by Dan Nicolas gave the Fighting Maroons a 7-5 lead, but a service error by Raheem, followed by a Ventura off-speed hit and back-to-back attacks by Vince Maglinao gave the Green Spikers a 9-7 lead.
A Raheem kill broke the 4-0 run, but La Salle continued the run and took a 14-8 lead after a block by Ventura.
A service error by Maglinao kept a window of opportunity open for UP, but a Kampton off-the-block hit sealed the deal, as he gestured to the crowd following the victory.
Raheem had 25 points for UP, while Nicolas and Tommy Castrodes had 16 and 13, respectively.
With the win, the Taft-based squad rose to 8-4. It also booted out the Ateneo Blue Eagles from contention.
Earlier in the day, the National University Bulldogs clinched the final twice-to-beat advantage after sweeping Ateneo, 30-28, 25-23, 25-16.
Buds Buddin spearheaded the defending champions with 15 points on 10 attacks, three blocks and two service aces. Leo Aringo and Jan Abanilla had 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Kennedy Batas was held to just 12 points for the Blue Eagles. Amil Pacinio and Jian Salarzon provided support with 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
The 12-1 Far Eastern University and 11-2 NU are currently numbers 1 and 2 in the standings. University of Santo Tomas and La Salle are third and fourth, respectively, with identical 8-4 records.
This is the third consecutive season that the same cast of teams will take part in the Final Four.
Ateneo dropped to 6-7 this season with a game remaining in the eliminations.
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