BACK IN FINALS: Magis Eagles unseat Cobras, force title duel with Jaguars in Cesafi girls volleyball tourney

Two Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu spikers dive to save the ball during their knockout semifinal match against the Southwestern University Baby Cobras in the Cesafi girls volleyball tournament at the University of San Carlos Main gym yesterday (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON).

For the second straight year, the Sacred Heart School – Ateneo De Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles will be contending for the crown, and their return to the finals was made even better as it came at the expense of the team that denied them of the crown last season.

The Magis Eagles scored some measure of revenge as they dethroned the defending champions Southwestern University (SWU) Baby Cobras via a come-from-behind fashion 16-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-18 victory in their knockout semifinal duel of the 2016 Cesafi girls volleyball tournament yesterday at the University of San Carlos (USC) Main gym.

SWU took off to a rampaging start, showcasing its traditional electrifying performance that allowed them to take the opening set.

The Cobras continued their scoring onslaught in the next set behind the offensive exploits of Therese Bragat, who scored six hits in an 18-12 run.

With SWU going berserk, the Magis Eagles called a timeout.

In the huddle, Magis Eagles mentor Mario Sala yelled at his wards, calling out the team for its lackluster defense against the well-oiled offense of SWU.

“I told them that we have to play defense to win. We cannot go pound-for-pound against SWU in offense.” Sala said.

The Magis Eagles responded to their coach’s challenge as they leaned on the solid attacks of Jennifer Delos Santos and the defensive prowess of Danielle Malazarte who combined for 15 hits in the second to tie the game at one set apiece.

The deadly duo of Delos Santos and Malazarte wasn’t done yet as they put together a series of attacks to combine for 11 kills in the third that snuffed the life out of the Cobras.

After losing two consecutive sets, it seemed like the defending champions SWU ran out of gas as they just couldn’t find the mark and committed a whopping eight unforced errors.

“It was a great win but we need to work hard against USJ-R in the finals. They are a tough team and full of seasoned veterans. I cannot promise anything but we will just do our best,” Sala said.

Earlier in the day, University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars booked the first championship ticket after they upended the home squad USC Warriors 25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23 to set up a titular showdown with the Magis Eagles.

Game 1 of the best-of-three series between the Magis Eagles and the Jaguars is slated at 2 p.m. on October 28.