By: Rylie San Juan
Photo Courtesy: Ram Christian Campos.
Women’s Division
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Lady Knights extended their winning streak by defeating the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates in a 3-0 blowout, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23, held last Friday, May 2, at the FilOil Centre, San Juan City.
Judiel Nitura’s heroics once again led her squad to victory after scoring 18 points and 12 blocks. Gia Maquilang and Sheena Sarie weren’t too far behind either in the scoring department, with Maquilang scoring 17 points and Sarie ending the game with 12.
The Lady Knights started off strong in the first frame to claim the early lead, but the Lady Pirates creeped close with neither team able to secure a lead bigger than five points. The back-and-forths intensified as both teams refused to give an inch to the other.
Nitura and Maquilang’s aggression, paired with the team’s gritty defense against attacks from the opponent, were enough to carry them through a close first set. A hard spike from Nitura ended the first set which secured her ninth point in the opening.
Royce Dela Cruz drew first blood in the second set with Nitura following up with a point of her own to mix up Letran’s offense. Service errors became the problem for both teams early in the second but both were able to make the right adjustments to lessen the damage.
Letran’s dominance carried over into the second set with a 6-0 run ensuing, the Lady Knights continued to push the pace, forcing LPU into tough spots with hard spikes from Maquilang and Nitura which proved too much for the Lady Pirates to withstand. Letran led by as much as eight points and was able to maintain until the set-ending point, 25-17.
The errors for LPU piled into the third while Letran displayed their fast-paced play with power attacks after power attacks. Nitura continued to terrorize the defense of the Lady Pirates as they seemed to have no answers for each play.
An intense back-and-forth that ended with an error from the side of Letran put the Lady Pirates on top for the first time but Letran recovered instantly, claiming the lead back with a score of 21-20. Plenty of lead changes occurred late in the third but Letran ultimately came out on top.
Ashley Muchillas of the Lady Pirates ended the game with 12 points paired with 11 spikes, Joan Doguna tallied nine points while Johna Dolorito scored eight.
Men’s Division
The Letran Knights bounced back after dropping a grueling first set against the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, 25-27, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16.
Vince Himzon led the Knights in terms of scoring, ending the game with 17 points, 15 attacks, and six digs. Christer Ambrocio and Andrew Abeto were also key contributors to this win, with Ambrocio scoring 14 points and Abeto with 12 points
Bermido started off strong claiming the first point for Letran, with Bautista scoring not long after. Neither team was able to grab a commanding lead early on, courtesy of the excellent defense from both parties.
Miscommunication seemed to be the problem for the Knights early on, but the scoring was still there for the Knights. The match was close all throughout, with Lyceum’s Jun Edang delivering the final blow to close out a hard fought set one, 25-27.
The Knights got off to a flying start in the second set courtesy of a spike from Ambrocio which the Pirates weren’t able to reach in time. LPU was not letting up though as they scored their first point on the very next play. The trading of scores continued early in the second but Letran managed to cling on to the lead thanks to Ambrocio and Himzon’s attacks. Letran began to inch away late in the set, leaving the Pirates exhausted with the aggressive scoring of the Knights, taking the set with a double-digit cushion, 25-15.
There was nothing new to see in the third set for the emerging Himzon-Ambrocio duo as they continued to wreak havoc from the attack line. Though being down for the majority of the set, once Letran got the lead, they closed the door for a potential Pirates comeback.
The fourth set was another blowout as Himzon blazed with determination, leading the charge for the Knights with rapid attacks. The suffocating defense was the x-factor for the Knights, denying attacks from LPU from all zones. Abeto and Ambrocio were also not far behind in terms of scoring. Ambrocio closed out the game 25-16, on an attack which the pirates were not able to block.
John Cielo was the top scorer for the pirates, with 18 points along with 17 spikes while Jun Edang and David Talento racked up 16 points and 11 points respectively.
Letran will face the San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Tuesday, May 6, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.