In a rematch of the NCAA Season 100 Finals, Colegio de San Juan de Letran finally cracked the Arellano University code, scoring a commanding 25-17, 25-20, 25-17 victory to earn its first win in the 2025 V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge on Sunday morning at the Paco Arena Sports and Events Center in Manila.
After going winless against the Chiefs in both the elimination round and the best-of-three NCAA championship series last June, the Knights leaned on team captain John Wayne Arano and Paolo Lopez to sweep Arellano in just 74 minutes.
The victory snapped a two-game skid for Letran and propelled the Knights into a tie for fourth place with UAAP five-peat champion National University, as both squads now hold identical 1-2 records in the eight-team tournament organized by Sports Vision.
“Masaya kasi ito yung mga gusto rin ng mga players. Makikita mo na hindi lang yung coaching staff yung may gusto, pero yung mga players, deserve rin nila yung panalo today against Arellano,” said Knights head coach Brian Esquibel.
“Lagi ko sila rineremind na every training or every time na may game, kailangan nila maging consistent kasi ‘yon yung kulang ng mga past tournaments namin, makikita mo na medyo hindi umaabot or nakakauna pero hindi nagtutuloy-tuloy,” he added.
In the third set, Letran raced to a commanding 16-7 advantage before sealing the sweep behind timely hits from Dave Lardizabal, Lorenz Vicente, and Francis Santiagudo.
Earlier, with the second frame tied at 11-all, the Knights unleashed a decisive 9-3 run to grab a 20-14 lead, giving them a two-sets-to-none cushion that proved too much for the Chiefs to overcome.
Lopez finished with 10 points built on eight attacks, while Lardizabal and Vince Himzon chipped in nine apiece. Vicente added seven points, and Arano contributed six markers on top of orchestrating the offense with 15 excellent sets, two points, and five digs.
The Knights will next face the undefeated De La Salle University Green Spikers on Saturday, August 23, at 10 a.m. in the same venue.
On the other hand, CJ Dominguito led Arellano with nine points on seven attacks, while Arman Guinto added seven.
The Chiefs remained winless through three outings and will try to regain their footing in a crucial match against UAAP Season 87 silver medalists Far Eastern University Tamaraws — fresh off a Japan training camp — on the same date and venue.
