After suffering eight straight losses, the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals dug deep to give themselves a win to end the season, pulling off a grindout victory in straight sets, 32-30, 25-22, 25-20, over the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, Monday morning at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Prior to the game, EAC head coach Rod Palmero told the Taft-based spikers that, “Pilitin pa rin namin ng maglaro ng best kasi napakalaking problema na-encounter namin this season. Sa dami ng player ko na inalagaan, nawala lahat. Kaya sabi ko kahit last game na to, pilitin nating manalo.”
That determination was evident at the start of the match as the Knights and the Generals locked arms. After a tight battle, the white-shirts pulled it off in the end turning a 17-21 deficit into an opening-frame win.
Wing attackers Joshua Miña and Zedrick Cilocilo carried the scoring load for EAC, who used the momentum of the first-set win into the next two sets.
For Palmero, the main difference is that the team just lived up to their name. “Yung ano lang, para sa sarili nila, yung pride nila. Inaano ko sa kanila, the whole season, lalo na yung paalis, na maano sila ng wala silang panalo kahit isa,” he said.
The Letran Knights tried to force a comeback in the last two sets with outside spiker Bobby Gatdula doing most of the damage. Nonetheless, EAC’s commitment on defense bore fruit as they finally closed out a match and turned it to a win.
The slight advantage on the scoring skills and in reception did its work for the Generals. Miña and Cilocilo paced them with 19 spikes each for a total of 47, as opposed to Letran’s 44.
Libero Earl Magadan, who just entered the lineup at the start of the year, ended up with 10 digs and 25 of the squad’s 36 excellent receptions.
Gatdula registered 17 markers for the Knights.
EAC finished at last place with a 1-8 slate, while Letran ended with a 2-7 record.
The Scores:
EAC 3 – Cilocilo 22, Miña 21, Rasing 7, Lim 6, Castellano 1, Garcia 1, Magadan L.
CSJL 0 – Gatdula 17, Alilio 12, Cistina 8, Reyes 7, Sison 3, Sarmiento 1, Dizon 0, Timbreza L, Centeno L.
