Letran and VNS Asereht clinched the next possible prizes after besting their separate foes to take home the bronze medals in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Challenge Cup women’s and men’s division, respectively, on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
The Lady Knights bested the Philippine Air Force, 25-15, 25-23, 25-19, to finish third in the women’s play as VNS Asereht pulled the rug from under UAAP champion National U via reverse sweep, 32-34, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-13 for the bronze medal in the men’s division.
It’s a fitting bounce back for Letran after a 25-20, 25-17, 25-16 loss against College of St. Benilde in the semifinals for the first podium finish of its rebuilding phase under new mentor and bona fide Knight Oliver Almadro.
That was the only defeat for the Lady Knights, who had a stellar 5-1 record in the 16-team women’s division of the Challenge Cup supported by the Philippine Sports Commission headed by chairman Richard Bachmann, PLDT, Rebisco, Akari, Foton and CBPI.
On the other hand, VNS Asereht capped its remarkable run by slaying another giant in three-time UAAP titlist NU from two sets down.
After falling short in the first two frames, VNS escaped with thrilling wins of their own in the next three to snatch the podium away from the Bulldogs.
VNS, despite finishing only second in the pool play, first stunned the erstwhile unbeaten PGJC Navy, 26-24, 26-24, 26-24, in the quarterfinals to make it to the Final Four – where it stood tall in a 21-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-23, 10-15 defeat against powerhouse Cignal.
Cignal and University of Santo Tomas, which beat UAAP rival NU in the other semis pairing with a 25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24 win, are still clashing as of press time for the crown in the 20-team men’s division.
Meanwhile, two-time reigning NCAA champion College of St. Benilde and the University of the Philippines are battling for the jewel in the 16-team Challenge Cup women’s division of the PNVF headed by Ramon “Tats” Suzara.