Colegio de San Juan de Letran finally solved the Arellano University puzzle, completing a 21-25, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 15-13 reverse sweep win in the NCAA Season 101 men's volleyball battle for third on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Knights overcame a sluggish start then leaned on Vince Himzon, Lou Ambrocio, and Dave Lardizabal to turn back the defending champions and salvage a podium finish to close out their campaign.
Lardizabal pumped in a team-high 24 points to go with 14 digs while Himzon chipped in 22 markers all built on attacks. Ambrocio shone with 13 points off the bench laced with 16 receptions.
The hard-fought five-set victory marked Letran's first win over the Chiefs after two years.
In Season 100, Letran fell to Arellano twice in the double-round robin elimination round before losing twice again in their finals duel. Prior to this game, Letran was also in a slump against Arellano after losing both of their group stage matches.
That two-season dry spell against the Chiefs fueled the Knights today.
Down two sets, Letran refused to go down without a fight with Ambrocio unloading back-to-back denials on Jiwen Sinuto to reach a 24-19 lead in Set 3. Lardizabal then closed it out with an opposite kill that extended the match.
Letran seized a much-needed 24-21 cushion in Set 4, but the Chiefs responded with two consecutive kills to spark a comeback and pull within one, 24-23. Amborcio, however, continued to rise to the occasion by torching Arellano with another kill to drag the Chiefs to a decider.
It was all Letran in the fifth with Lardizabal completing a combination play that sent the Knights to a 10-4 cushion before back-to-back Himzon points sent them to the match point, 14-10.
Arellano, though, swung for three straight points to mount a comeback led by Sinuto but the veteran opposite hitter could not squeeze the ball through Letran's triple block on the next play, allowing the Knights to secure the gritty victory.
Sinuto top-scored with 22 points while CJ Dominguito posted 19 markers alongside 23 receptions.
—JKC, GMA News
