MGCNL Volleyball Aces 18U Semi-Finals to PCYAA Finals

The New Lifers won the Volleyball Juniors’ semi-final match against Saint Jude Catholic School (SJCS) in the ongoing 11th season of the Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA), 25-11, 25-19, 25-20, on Sunday, March 10, at the Philippine Cultural College in Manila. 

“We need to play like we really want to win,” said libero Annika Chong, restating their mindset to perform at their best. 

MGCNL took the early lead in the first set, with the team’s strong offensive beginning and calls on the errors of SJCS carrying the score from 3-1 to 8-5. The New Lifers widened their lead with consistent attacks, hitting the defensive holes of the Judenites, eventually closing the set at 25-11. 

The second set’s early lead had been chalked up by the New Lifers at 8-4, with multiple points from their blockings; however, the Judenites made sure to follow, catching up and eventually taking their first lead of the match at 13-11. 

SJCS rode on the momentum of their advantage, entering the late game of the second set three points ahead of MGCNL at 13-16 but the New Lifers regained their footing as Aisha Reyes, who earned Player of the Game honors, scored a point with her block at 15-17.

Feeding off of the block’s morale boost, MGCNL found their balance in their receives, bringing the set to a deadlock at 17-17, which the team broke with their well-rounded consistency, wrapping up the set to a well-earned 25-19. 

Vowing not to repeat the last set’s mistakes, the New Lifers chalked up an early advantage of six points, 7-1, thanks to captain Angeline Tan’s needle-sharp service aces–seen not only in the last set but consistently throughout the entire match. 

As the Judenities had kept their errors to a minimum, they posted a score of 9-7, orchestrating a final set of dog-and-cat fighting, with MGCNLCA taking the last word at 25-20. 

“I am confident in the hard work and effort that brought our team to the finals, so I have high hopes [for our finals matches] because we certainly did not get this far just to stop here,” commented Tan. 

MGCNL is set to face off against Jubilee Christian Academy (JCA) in a best-of-three series in the finals for the championship title this season 11.