Two more wins.
That was all University of Perpetual Help System DALTA needed to complete its three-peat quest in the NCAA Season 95 Men’s Volleyball Tournament.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that head coach Sammy Acaylar and the Altas feel a sense of disappointment after the league’s cancellation of the remainder of the season in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Actually, wala kaming magawa dahil sa coronavirus. We are after safety ng lahat, pero ang morale ng players ko sobrang disappointed lalo ako,” the seasoned mentor bared. “I respect their decision naman.
“Mga players nagsi-uwian after nalaman nila. Sobrang nanghihinayang sa pagod nila at sobrang paghahanda sa program ko.”
Be that as it may, the Altas remain the defending champions of the league. And their dominant performance in Season 95 proved that they deserve every inch of the billing.
Perpetual was invulnerable throughout the preliminaries, dispatching opponents one by one en route to a 9-0 sweep.
The NCAA powerhouse has also shown that it can reach greater heights without former league MVP Joebert Almodiel, with whom they parted ways during the build-up to the season.
In the void Almodiel left, there emerged a breakout star in Louie Ramirez, whom Acaylar sees as a potential Philippine men’s national volleyball team member. Other standouts such as Ronniel Rosales, Kennry Malinis, and Hero Austria proved reliable for Perpetual as well.
All of this has outweighed the disappointment of Acaylar and his players over the abrupt end to their promising campaign. They are also grateful to the unending support from the Perpetual community.
“Happy naman ako na kami pa rin ‘yung defending champion,” Acaylar gushed.
“Super proud ako sa team ko at lalo sa Perpetual school lalo kay Chairman Tony Tamayo at President Anthony Tamayo na walang sawang support na binigay niya sa amin, siyempre the Perpetual community at kay Lord.”
