Letran, Arellano aim to topple twice-to-beat Benilde, Mapua for NCAA men's volleyball finals tickets
Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Arellano University aim to topple twice-to-beat teams De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and Mapua University for tickets to the NCAA Season 100 men's volleyball finals.
Letran and Benilde will face off on Friday at 12:00 p.m., while Arellano and Mapua will battle at 2:30 p.m. at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
Last Sunday, the Knights swept the top-seeded Blazers, 25-17, 25-23, 25-23, with Bembem Bautista and Vince Himzon leading no. 4 team Letran.
Letran head coach Bryan Esquibel said they will still rely on defense as they take on the Blazers anew.
"Same pa rin ang magiging paghahanda natin, kailangan pa nating pagpursigihan ang net blocking and floor defense kasi doon manggagaling ang magandang atake and ma-minimize natin ang error." Esquibel said.
Bautista had 17 points from 15 attacks and two blocks, while Himzon had 12 points.
Benilde's top scorer Rocky Roy Motol, meanwhile, was limited to eight points then with John Austero posting a team-high 11 points.
The third-seeded Chiefs, meanwhile, hope to return to the Finals for the first time since 2018.
"Ang usapan namin sa training, ang mindset namin is one point at a time lang muna. Kung pupuntos kami, dapat trabahuhin namin," Arellano head coach Brian Vitug said.
Before making a Finals return, the Chiefs need to beat the no. 2 team Cardinals first.
In their Final Four match last Tuesday, Arellano defeated Mapua, 21-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-13.
AC Guinto had 19 points, while Carl Berdal had 13 points in the crucial match. Jiwen Sinuto and Jake Pangilinan also came to the rescue for the Chiefs with 11 points apiece as Adrian Villados made all of Arellano's 19 excellent sets.
The Chiefs survived Barbie San Andres' 23-point outing for Mapua.
The winner of the two matches will advance to the Finals which will open on Sunday.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
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