NCAA: Lady Altas to go ‘all out’ vs Lady Chiefs

MANILA, Philippines—Perpetual Help had to walk the tightrope just to take the championship opener over Arellano last Friday.

And Lady Altas head coach Sammy Acaylar knows it won’t be much different when the defending champions shoot for a third straight NCAA volleyball crown on Monday.

“We need to be all out,” Acaylar said in Filipino, bracing for a furious fightback from the Lady Chiefs in Game 2. “We need hard work and focus.”

Acaylar points out Arellano’s familiar core of veteran hitters CJ Rosario, Danna Henson, Menchie Tubiera and Shirley Salamagos as a dangerous combination having played together long enough to be one cohesive unit.

“They’re a strong team. They’re complete unlike our team which lost a lot of players from last season,” Acaylar said, whose squad eked out a 27-29, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-9 squeaker in Game 1 behind Honey Royse Tubino’s 27 points.

Arellano coach Obet Javier, on the other hand, remains upbeat that his team will be able to forge a deciding game on Thursday.

While Acaylar took notice of the Lady Chiefs’ deep lineup, Javier cited the Lady Altas’ championship experience that played its part in the opener.

“Their championship experience showed,” he said.