Knights trio power Letran to back-to-back wins

Colegio de San Juan de Letran ignited a winning streak, delivering a dominant 25-15, 25-21, 25-18 sweep over NCAA foe Emilio Aguinaldo College in the V-League Men's Collegiate Challenge at the Paco Arena in Manila on Wednesday.

After dropping their first two games in the V-League, the trio of Vince Himzon, Steven Sta. Maria, and John Bautista led the Knights to a 2-2 slate, guiding Letran to two consecutive wins.

"Yun pa rin yung naging galaw nung team, naglaro ng sama-sama, ineenjoy lang nila kahit maraming error pa rin. Napansin mo lahat ng error namin coming from the service area so nacontrol naman nila yung labanan kaya satisfied pa rin ako sa performance ng team ngayon," said Letran head coach Brian Esquibel.

After an error by Andrew Abeto that trimmed the Knights' lead to one, 17-16, Letran unleashed an 8-2 finishing kick that secured the set, their second consecutive win, and kept EAC winless in the eight-team league organized by Sports Vision.

A Sta. Maria down-the-line hit, a running attack from Bautista, and a crosscourt kill from Arieh Barba sealed the Knights' 2-2 record.

Right out of the gate, the Knights quickly established a 10-point lead (16-6) to take the opening set comfortably. While the Generals showed more resilience in the second salvo, Letran still came out on top after capitalizing on EAC's nine miscues.

"Makikita mo naman na very crucial yung errors na nangyayari kung kailan patapos, tsaka kami hindi nakakapuntos. Ngayon, doon kami nagconcentrate, pero ang dami pa rin lapses sa service area, kaya iwworkout pa namin 'yon para sa susunod na games namin," he added.

Himzon led the Knights with 15 points built on 12 attacks, two blocks, and an ace, while Sta. Maria and Bautista chipped in nine points each.

Letran will shoot for their third straight win against the streaking University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 12 p.m.

Mark Palatino was EAC's lone double-digit scorer with 11 points on nine attacks, while Jan Abor contributed eight markers in the loss.

Meanwhile, the Generals look to break a four-game skid against reigning NCAA champion University of Perpetual Help System Dalta on the same playdate at 2 p.m.