Cavite volleybelles prevail over Rizal
Kicking off their volleyball crusade, the Cavite team composed of the DLSU-D women’s and men’s volleyball team fused victory and sorrow after facing the Rizal lady spikers and Batangas spikers in the preliminary round of the Private Schools Athletic Association – Regionals at the Lyceum of the Philippines University – Batangas Arsenio H. Laurel Sports Arena yesterday, February 6.
A clean start
Striving to reclaim the crown, the Cavite team represented by the DLSU-D Lady Patriots, dealt with a three straight sets victory against the Rizal province in an overpowering 25-17, 25-8, and 25-11 sweep.
The first canto began with Iumi Yongco’s lethal service aces but the Rizal team took advantage of Caviteños’ unstable defense and violations, 20-17. Empowering their attacks, team captain Cherry Rose Nunag led Cavite to garner five consecutive points and froze the Rizal team’s score through unleashing spikes to seal the first set, 25-17.
Veterans Nunag and Yongco continued their impressive beginning as Cavite poured bombs of spikes and blocks to clinch the second canto victory, 25-8.
Ceasing the Rizal team’s attempt to shift the momentum, Eunice Gercie Castillo and Mara Allyza Galicia combined seven service aces that led the Cavite team to a 25-11 dominance.
Clash of the powerhouses
The Cavite men squad, consisting mostly of DLSU-D Patriots, suffered from a tight upset against the rising Batangas team, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 13-15.
The first set launch with chilling spines as the Caviteños stormed a 10-4 onslaught, capped off by veteran Aidam Adam’s sharp delivery through the defense, however, Batangas team’s Marvin Canoy sealed the deal off through his spikes, scoring three of the four points in the run by Cavite, 22-25.
Buckling down to the win, Eddiemar Kasim and Adam led the team through their powerful spikes in the second canto, 25-20.
The Batangas team, hyped with the chants in their homecourt, delivering spikes after spikes and blocks after blocks to steal the lead, 23-25.
Bannering their dignity as defending champs, the Cavite team punched their way to garner a 23-all deadlock in the fourth set before they snatched a 25-23 triumph in the fourth canto.
In the do-or-die set, the heated Batangeños posted a 4-1 run at the start of the fifth set to advance a shaky game that nudged the Caviteños to the brink, 10-13. Attempting to steal the lead, Kasim sparked an off the the block spike, 11-13.
Proving themselves as a powerhouse team, the Batangas-based squad notched the victory after rejecting Adam’s attempt to pierce the defenders, 13-15.
