Eighteen straight sets won
NCAA Men’s Volleyball powerhouse University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas showed no signs of letting up and crushed fellow erstwhile undefeated Arellano University Chiefs in just three sets, 25-14, 25-22, 25-17, to notch their sixth consecutive victory, Tuesday afternoon at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Skipper Jun Taneo scattered his quiet 13 points throughout the match to lead the Season 91 champions. Rookie Joebert Almodiel finished with 10 spikes.
The Altas edged out the opposition in all scoring skills, and dominated them in the non-scoring ones to bag the win. Nonetheless, it was the uncharacteristic 34 errors from the Chiefs that ultimately caused their doom.
With expectations minimized at the start of the season, head coach Sammy Acaylar shared his pride on how his wards have been playing so far.
“Sabi ko nga, hindi ako satisfied sa team ko kasi maraming nawala. Pero dinaan ko sila sa force, sa discipline, sa training. And I always motivate them na everything will come into place,” the seasoned mentor shared.
Acaylar was pleased that their specific training had paid off in the game. “Nakita ko ‘yung galaw nila, almost perfect,” he ended beaming.
John Cabillan rallied the tribe with 10 markers.
The now 6-0 Perpetual will try to seal another semifinals appearance as they battle fellow winners Mapua University (3-2) on Tuesday, January 30. The Chiefs (5-1) and the San Beda College (4-1) will figure in an all-important battle on Friday.
The Scores:
UPHSD 3 – Taneo 13, Almodiel 10, Rosales 8, Ramos 6, Muhali 3, Solamilo 1, Catipay 0, Kalingking L.
AU 0 – Cabillan 10, Dela Paz 8, Segovia 5, Lapuz 4, Liberato J 3, Liberato K 1, Arellano T 0, Soriano 0, Domingo 0, Arellano K 0, Blanco L, Esguerra L.