De La Salle University turned the tide in the fourth set, defeating San Beda University in four sets, 25-15, 25-22, 16-25, 25-21, on Sunday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
This victory secured their second win in the 2023 V-League Collegiate Challenge, held.
Trailing by four points at 9-13, coach Jose Roque made a crucial decision to substitute recruit Yong Mendoza in place of former captain Vince Maglinao, ultimately altering the course of the game.
As a result, the Green Spikers concluded the match with a dominant 16-8 run, with Mendoza delivering the game-winning kill.
"Sabi ko sa kanila, it's more on sino ba yung dapat ma-pressure? Tayo ba o sila? And it's more on what we should focus on, which is how we play," the former Red Spikers mentor added.
Gene Poquita stabilized De La Salle's performance, particularly in the pivotal fourth set rebound, contributing 15 excellent sets and finishing with two points. Captain JM Ronquillo and Noel Kampton contributed significantly with 19 and 15 points, respectively.
Mendoza's teammates from Sta. Rosa, Andrei Bakil and Kevin Montemayor, led San Beda with 15 and 11 points respectively. However, their efforts were insufficient to rescue their team from starting the season 0-3.
