The comeback is, indeed, real.
After losing in a four-set match against the infused cluster of Natural Science and Mathematics (NSM), School of Education (SOE), and School of Nursing (SON) Stags last year, Business and Management (B&M) Vipers dominated the women’s volleyball against the Stags this time around; 25-17, 21-25, 25-23, and 25-18.
Vipers’ Team Captain Kamira Labrador expressed her happiness for finally bringing home the crown after almost a decade.
“Happy kaayo ko kay last playing year jud ni. Upat mi mang graduate sa team,” she said.
The service aces of Vipers’ Yambao initially heated the first set of the match but were eventually retracted by her and Confesor’s off-hand attacks. These faults, however, were not enough to compensate the bad poor receptions, service errors, and generally, bad start for the Stags.
The Stags’ loss in the first set fueled their determination, causing them to take the early lead through Licyayo’s unstoppable spikes and Ang’s services aces.
The Vipers’ reception slowly deteriorated with Labrador contributing a lot of attack errors, ending the second set with a service ace from Ang, allowing a 1-1 win in the second set.
After eventually finding their right footing, the Stags started strong in the third set, forcing a close match against the Vipers with a desperate kickball from Yambao to save the ball. This momentum, however, ended as they began to add errors again in the second half of the third set. Confesor’s spikes and the Vipers’ composure prevailed after a series of intense rallies.
The fourth set, a crucial set to make errors, did not look well for both teams; Stags with their attack errors and Vipers with their bad receptions. In a do-or-die set for Stags, the Vipers triumphed an anticlimactic win, ending the match point with a net violation from the Stags.
Vipers’ coach emphasized discipline and communication as the recipe for the team’s success.
“Dapat talaga mag bond kayo as a team,” he said.
The second runner up for this year’s women’s volleyball is Accountancy Griffins.