MANILA, Philippines – Perpetual Help put up a tough net defense to slow down the power-hitting Howard Mojica, carve out a 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-19 victory over defending champion Emilio Aguinaldo yesterday and force a sudden death for the 91st NCAA men’s volleyball crown at The Arena in San Juan City.
Rey Taneo Jr. unloaded 16 hits, including 13 attack points, while Ranidean Philipe Abcede fired nine attack points on his way to a 14-hit output as the Altas avenged their 22-25, 25-14, 14-25, 16-25 setback in the best-of-three series opener last Tuesday.
The rubber match is set Tuesday.
The Altas held Mojica to just 22 hits while neutralizing the rest of the EAC spikers with 11 blocks which the Las Piñas-based squad complemented with superb court coverage.
“We made it difficult for them with our defense,” said Perpetual Help coach Sammy Acaylar, seeking to steer the school to its 11th men’s championship.
The Altas actually dropped their previous two matches to Mojica and the Generals but came through with big adjustments upfront and down low to stymie the vaunted EAC offense.
“I knew from the start that if we can play defense, we’ll have a chance,” said Acaylar.