Arellano University battled the odds against fancied San Sebastian College and came away with a 25-15, 22-25, 25-23, 25-16 victory yesterday to reclaim the NCAA women’s volleyball crown at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Touted as the underdogs in the series, the Lady Chiefs showed cohesion and teamwork against the erratic Lady Stags to clinch the school’s second title in three years.
The trio of Ria Sante, Andrea Marzan, and Finals MVP Jovielyn Prado launched an aggressive attack and finished with 14 points each for Arellano, which needed to beat San Sebastian three times in order to win the title.
They won 25-18, 25-20, 25-16 in Game 1 and 18-25, 25-16, 25-11, 26-28, 15-13 in Game 2.
It was also a bittersweet triumph for the Lady Chiefs as they dedicated their trophy to Coach Obet Javier’s late wife Amy Marie, who passed away two weeks ago in Spain due to lung cancer.
“Yun din yung naging unang motivation namin, yung misis ko. Naramdaman ko kanina na dinamayan nila ako,” said Javier.
Arellano started out strong, but saw San Sebastian regaining its lost steam in the second frame.
The Lady Chiefs remained unfazed and claimed the third set.
