MANILA – Arellano University Lady Chiefs showed its grit and experience to score a 22-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-18 win over University of Perpetual Help Lady Altas in NCAA Season 82 women’s volleyball do-or-die finals on Tuesday at the San Juan Arena.
Finals MVP Regine Arocha led the way with 16 points, Princess Bello added 12 markers, while Necole Ebuen and Carla Donato contributed 11 markers apiece for the Lady Chiefs.
The championship was the third consecutive, fourth in the last five years, for the Lady Chiefs while the Lady Altas were denied of a triple crown after its juniors and men’s team bagged NCAA titles.
“‘Yung pagkakatalo namin ng Game 1, malaking bagay ‘yun. Dahil doon, natuto kaming bumangon,” said Lady Chiefs head coach Obet Javier. “Talagang sinukat kami ng Perpetual. Pinilit nilang ilabas ‘yung dapat naming ilabas.”
After losing the opening set, the Lady Chiefs came back strong in the tight second frame before pulling away on conversions from Ebuen and Bello for a 22-15 advantage and never looked back.
The Lady Chiefs continued its dominance in the third period with a strong start with attacks from Arocha, Bello and Donato for an insurmountable 21-11 advantage and a 2-0 set edge.
The Lady Altas tried to stay alive in the fourth set as it took a 13-11 lead but the Lady Chiefs banked on its experience with an 11-0 scoring run to capture its third straight NCAA plum.
Cindy Imbo finished her collegiate career with 12 points, while Shyra Umandal and Jenny Gaviola each contributed 10 markers for the losing Lady Altas./PN
