Adamson falls short, misses trip to Finals
Needing only one win for a ticket to the Finals, the Adamson Men's Volleyball team pushed their foes to the brink but fell short in a do-or-die match against the NU Bulldogs, 25-19, 20-25, 20-25, 23-25, Wednesday afternoon, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Dave Pletado and Paolo Pablico led their squad with 14 points apiece. Team Captain Michael Sudaria added 11 while Jerome Sarmiento had 10 in the losing effort.
The first set of the match was dominated by Adamson. Throughout the set, the Falcons never trailed the Bulldogs as they consistently found holes in NU's defense. Adamson led by as much as five, 19-14, midway through the set. NU, however, was able to catch up, cutting their deficit to one, 19-18. However, Adamson eventually found their groove and grabbed the first set, 25-19.
The squad from San Marcelino again started the 2nd set strong, building a five-point cushion,13-8, early in the set. Faulty reception and defensive lapses, however, took a toll on Adamson as they let NU take the lead, 14-16. Then, solid blocking from the Bulldogs helped push NU's lead to five, 15-20, and eventually took the set, 20-25.
The third set saw the two teams trade jabs with each other as neither team was able to establish a solid lead. Adamson's errors, however, allowed its opponent to gain a three-point lead late in the set, 18-21. From there, the Falcons never got closer than three points and the Bulldogs snatched the set, 20-25.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, they also lost their main setter, Nico Ramirez, in the third set. Ramirez dived into the scorer's table while trying to chase the ball where he accidentally injured his shoulder.
"Sobrang sakit sakin. Everytime nakikita ko mga teammates kong lumalaban parang gusto ko sila damayan. Iniisip ko kasama nila ako pero wala akong magawa para manalo," Ramirez said.
Ramirez tried to play in the fourth set but his injured shoulder didn't cooperate.
Clearly demoralized, the Falcons started the fourth set slow. Unable to get past NU's blocking, Adamson was in a four-point deficit until the second technical timeout, 12-16. But the Falcons refused to go down without a fight. Through an air tight floor defense, Adamson put together a 4-0 run to tie the game at 16. The Falcons even got the lead, 18-17, due to an error from NU. Combined efforts from Sarmiento and Pablico pushed Adamson's lead to 21-18. However, the Bulldogs answered with a run of their own. The Bulldogs, with a bit help from Adamson's errors, turned the set around as they scored four straight points, 21-22, in favor of NU. The two teams again exchanged blows until they are tied at 23. A quick hit from NU in the middle brought them to match point. Then, a solid block against Michael Sudaria gave the Bulldogs the last ride to the Finals, ending Adamson's season.
