Perpetual waiting for stepladder survivor

University of Perpetual Help completed a nine-match sweep of the men’s elimination round following a 25-14, 25-15, 25-18 conquest of Letran on Thursday in the 95th NCAA volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Jumping straight to the finals, the Altas will now await the survivor of the stepladder semifinals, which will take place once the league lifts the indefinite suspension of the games due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Emilio Aguinaldo College and Arellano University are already in the semifinals, while College of Saint Benilde is battling it out with San Beda and Mapua’s challenge for the last slot.

“It was very hard [to complete the sweep] because we are the defending champions; I always tell my players they have to respect all the teams in the NCAA,” said Perpetual coach Sammy Acaylar.

The Altas have actually won 22 consecutive matches, dating back two years ago.

Louie Ramirez came through with 10 points, including two blocks, while Ronniel Rosales, Ridzuan Muhali and Kennry Malinis combined for 23 points for Perpetual.

Altas playmaker EJ Casaña tossed 15 excellent sets.

Christopher Cistina led the Knights (2-6) with eight points, while Michael Doria chipped in seven points.

The league has yet to make an announcement on the exact schedule of the resumption of hostilities in both the men’s and women’s divisions, which have been halted to mitigate the spread of the new virus.

The UAAP has also indefinitely postponed its volleyball tournaments for Season 82 as sporting events nationwide have taken heed to warnings about large crowds in the wake of the virus outbreak.