The last time La Salle swept a first round, the Lady Spikers won the UAAP title. Meanwhile, the FEU Tamaraws hope to write a different script in Season 88 after falling short last year.
At the halfway mark of the UAAP Season 88 volleyball tournament, perfection still belongs to just two teams — FEU in the men’s division and La Salle for the women’s side.
The Tamaraws and the Lady Spikers completed spotless first-round campaigns, each emerging with 7-0 records entering the second round.
FEU shook off a grueling first-set loss before reasserting their control against the UST Golden Spikers, carving out a 28-30, 25-22, 25-17, 25-22 victory behind Ariel Cacao’s steady orchestration and the combined firepower of Dryx Saavedra and Lirick Mendoza.
[RELATED: Undefeated FEU stops UST to complete Round 1 sweep in UAAP men’s volleyball]
On the women’s side, La Salle made quite the statement.
The Lady Spikers took down two-time defending champion NU Lady Bulldogs, 25-21, 25-19, 19-25, 25-17, in a result that felt like both a warning shot and a reminder.
Team captain Shevana Laput and former MVP Angel Canino joined forces for 33 points as La Salle finally scored a breakthrough win over the Lady Bulldogs for the first time since Season 86.
[RELATED: Canino, Laput savor La Salle's statement win over NU to cap round 1 of UAAP Season 88]
History favors Taft — but not quite Morayta
The twin sweeps marked the first time since Season 85 that one team from each division completed a first-round sweep.
Back then, NU ruled the men’s tournament behind eventual Finals MVP Owa Retamar and went on to finish off a 16-0 title run.
On the women’s side, La Salle also turned its early dominance into a championship, riding a powerhouse cast led by Canino – then MVP-ROTY winner – Best Setter Mars Alba, and the likes of Jolina Dela Cruz and Thea Gagate.
That Lady Spikers team went 13-1 in the eliminations, dispatched the UST Golden Tigresses in the Final Four, and dethroned National U to reclaim the crown.
So if history offers encouragement to La Salle, FEU knows better than to celebrate too early.
The Tamaraws were in a similar position last season, sweeping the first round and eventually finishing as the top seed at 13-1.
They even knocked out La Salle Green Spikers in the Final Four and moved to the brink of ending NU’s dynastic reign, only to fall short in a heartbreaking Game 3 of the Finals.
That lingering sting now gives even more weight to FEU’s unbeaten start this year as the Tamaraws have been here before — and this time, they know a flawless first round means nothing unless they finish the job.
Round 2 begins Wednesday, March 18, at Smart Araneta Coliseum, with FEU opening the men’s slate against UE at 9:00 a.m., before NU battles UP at 11:00 a.m.
For the women’s division, UE faces FEU at 1:00 p.m., while NU meets UP at 3:00 p.m.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.