DEFENDING champion Emilio Aguinaldo College and Perpetual Help collide one last time on Tuesday for the men's volleyball title in the 91st NCAA volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.
The Altas pulled the rug from under the fancied Generals, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-19, on Friday in the second match of the best-of-three finals to force a decider.
The Generals and Altas clash at 2 p.m.
Rey Taneo, Jr. is expected to spearhead the Altas' attack anew after he uncorked a team-best 16 points including 13 on kills, while six-footer Ranidean Philipe Abcede will be the focal point on defense after coming up with four of the Altas’ 11 blocks.
"Everything will rely on how our defense holds. If we can play like the way we did in Game Two, we'll have a chance," said Perpetual Hep coach Sammy Acaylar, who has won 10 men division titles aside from eight juniors and three women's crowns since he started coaching for the Las Pinas-based school three decades ago.
League MVP Howard Mojica scored 22 points for EAC to match his output in the series opener, but the Altas managed to limit the other Generals.
College of St. Benilde goes for the jugular while San Sebastian fights for dear life in the women’s finals at 4 p.m.
CSB won, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 25-16, for its second straight win over SSC-R and fourth straight victory including matches in the stepladder semifinals.
"This is our chance to win a championship so we might as well go for it," said St. Benilde coach Michael Carino.
Gretcel Soltones, the women's MVP, unleashed a game-best 27 points got little support from the other SSC belles.
"We need to play as a team," said San Sebastian coach Roger Gorayeb, who steered his team to an elimination round sweep before dropping two straight to St. Benilde.