EAC trips St. Benilde, nears final

MANILA, Philippines - Emilio Aguinaldo College leaned on another strong effort by Howard Mojica as it waylaid College of St. Benilde, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20, to move a step closer to a return trip to the finals in the men’s division of the 90th NCAA volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

The crisp-spiking Mojica unleashed a 27-hit performance he spiked with 26 kills to power the Generals to their second straight win in the single-round robin semifinals and a win closer to  to the best-of-three finale.

EAC needs to down reigning champion Perpetual Help on Monday to secure its place in the championship round.

The Altas, who dropped a stinging 12-25, 27-29, 25-19, 20-25 defeat to the Blazers last Wednesday, rekindled the flame of their five-peat feat bid after turning back Arellano University, 30-28, 25-18, 25-19.

The Las Piñas-based spikers will thus need to beat the Generals for the former to remain in the title hunt.

Interestingly, Perpetual Help dropped a five-setter to EAC in the elimination round  in a heartbreaker that also snapped the former’s 54-match streak that stretched four seasons.

For Altas coach Sammy Acaylar, their loss to EAC is a thing of the past.

“We’re not thinking of what happened in the past anymore. Our focus now is our next match against EAC because we’re going to treat it as a do-or-die,” said Acaylar.

First things first, Acaylar said they need to find a way to slow down, if not completely stop, Mojica.

“He (Mojica) is EAC’s heart and soul. If we stop him or at least make life difficult for him,” we’ll have a chance,” said Acaylar.

Mojica is a cinch to win the MVP plum this season.

Mojica may have sealed the highest individual honor after utterly humiliating his closest rival, St. Benilde’s Johnvic de Guzman, who was held to just 11 in what turned out to be a one-sided affair.