USJ-R dethrones Cesafi boys volleyball champs USPF in semis
USJ-R Baby Jaguars boys volleyball team players and coaches pose for a group photo after their game in the Cesafi. | CDN Digital photo / Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars stunned the Cesafi boys volleyball defending champions, the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers, in a grueling four-set semifinals duel on Saturday December 2, 2023, at the University of San Carlos (USC) Main Campus gymnasium.
USJ-R completed a come-from-behind victory against the defending champions after losing the first set, 22-25.
They made a huge comeback winning the next three sets, 25-16, 25-19, and 25-30. It was also a redemption for USJ-R after they got beaten by USPF in the semifinals last season.
Roldan Potot will supervise two USJ-R volleyball squads in tomorrow’s finals after the Baby Jaguars’ girls team also earned a ticket to the Cesafi finals against the defending champions, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles.
This was after the USJ-R girls volleyball team beat the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters in three sets earlier today in their semifinals match.
Meanwhile, the USJ-R Baby Jaguars await the winning team in the other boys high school semifinals match between the SHS-AdC Magis Eagles and the UC Webmasters, who are currently playing as of this writing.
During the boys semifinals duel with USPF, USJ-R came alive after losing the opening set. They led as many as nine points, 25-16, to win the set by anchoring on their service aces and attacks that caught the Baby Panthers off guard.
They went on easily winning the third set, 25-19, and duplicated their incredible performance by building a five-point lead, 18-13 in the fourth set.
However, the defending champions didn’t go down without putting up a good fight after cutting the lead to just one, after USJ-R suffered successive unforced errors midway.
Still, USJ-R recovered and maintained a two-point lead, including the match point, 24-22, from Irish Czar Viran.
USPF made last efforts and managed to cut the deficit to just one, 23-24, from Macky Padilla’s attack.
Unfortunately, for Padilla, he committed one of his biggest blunders for his team after his service in the next play went overboard ultimately leading to their defeat.
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