The most crucial game in the Arellano Chiefs’ men’s volleyball campaign came on Tuesday at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City. 

Facing elimination against the No.2-ranked Mapúa Cardinals– a formidable adversary led by Season 100’s best scorer Barbie San Andres and a handful of reliables– Arellano banked on their well-built team chemistry and a mentality that is patiently deliberate. 

“One game at a time lang. And todo [game] viewing kami after trainings and team dinner palagi para pagdating ng laro, yung communication namin as a team ay buo,” Arellano ace player AC Guinto shared on the heels of winning a heated four-set semifinals affair against the higher-seeded Mapúa.

The Chiefs dismantled the Cardinals in three straight sets despite falling in the opening canto, 21-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-13, to avoid an expedited end to their centennial season campaign, effectively staging a grudge match due on Friday. 

Asked about what Arellano had to do in order to pull off such a performance, Guinto, who claimed the best player of the game honors with a 14-4-1 statline, said consistent team dinners were key.

“Ginagawa lang po kasi talaga namin, team dinner kami gabi-gabi. Gabi-gabi, magkakasama kami, kaya sa loob at labas ng court, pamilya na kami eh. Kaya minsan tinginan na lang naiintindihan na namin ang isa’t isa,” the Guagua, Pampanga native told GMA Regional TV News, also noting how intensive their tape viewings have been just to scout their opponents’ tendencies.

“Todo viewing… Pinaghandaan po namin buong team nila (Mapúa), hindi lang sina (Barbie) San Andres, (Arjay) Ramos, sila (Olsen) Jamisola. Kada opensa nila, rotations, pinag-aralan namin,” he added.

Head coach Bryan Vitug echoed similar sentiments. 

During a post-game interview, Vitug talked about the power of on-court patience and hard work.

“Yung mindset namin, one point at a time. At kung pupuntos kami, pagtatrabahuhan namin, hindi yung aasa lang kami sa errors ng kalaban,” he noted, describing the Cardinals as a highly skilled team that required their ultimate preparation. 

“Pag Mapúa kalaban mo, hindi pwedeng dulo-dulo ka lang eh,” he said, “ang galing nila mag-rebound ng mga bola and nako-convert nila agad into counters. Kung hindi ka magcocombination sa kanila, mahihirapan ka makapuntos,” he analyzed.

Vitug also lauded his platoon’s composure in the endgame, maintaining that they needed to be more patient and less ‘gigil’ as they recalibrated their bearings from Set 2 onwards.

“Sinabi ko na yung composure nila wag mawawala, at laging huwag magmadali… Nung first set, sobrang minamadali nila yung blocks tapos sobrang taas ng intensity hindi nila kontrolado ang sarili nila, sobra yung gigil nila,” the Arellano mentor added. 

The Chiefs are set for a do-or-die slugfest against the Mapúa Cardinals on June 6, Friday, at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City. The winner will enter the NCAA Season 100 Men’s Volleyball Tournament finals and will face the winner between Letran and Benilde.