MGCNLCA Clinches Historic 5-Peat Gold for 18U Volleyball PCYAA
The MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) 18-under volleyball varsity has once again etched its name in history to claim its fifth straight championship title in the 12th season of the Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA) after sweeping Jubilee Christian Academy (JCA) in the finals series.
Coming from an undefeated season, MGC New Life made it to the championship after a dominant semi-final performance against Pace Academy. The team controlled the match from start to finish by winning three straight sets, 25-16, 25-14, 25-15, to book their ticket to the finals–a best-of-three series.
Finals Game 1
The finals series opened on March 18 at the UNO High School Gym, where the New Lifers faced familiar rival Jubilee Christian Academy.
MGCNLCA started with a dominant serving run to quickly build a 10-2 lead. However, the Lady Warriors responded—breaking through the New Lifer’s defense—to narrow the gap to 13-9. Despite the momentum shift, the Lady New Lifers recovered, 25-19, and grabbed the set.
The Jubilee Warriors fought back with strong services to start the second set with a score of 9-13. However, a timely service run from Peach Diño shifted the momentum decisively in her team’s favor and pushed the score to 18-9 before the New Lifers secured the set at 25-15.
Set three proved to be a turning point for the Jubilee Warriors as their aggressive serves once again disrupted MGCNLCA’s reception. The score was tied early at 2-2, but the New Lifers managed to regroup and pull ahead to 10-6. However, a series of unforced errors allowed JCA to regain momentum. Despite MGCNLCA’s efforts to recover, they lost their first set in the season, resulting in a 21-25 win for Jubilee.
Determined to end the match, MGCNLCA regained their focus in set four. After a closely contested start at 4-3, the Lady New Lifers regained control through powerful serves, extending the lead to 10-3. MGCNLCA sustained their momentum to close the match 25-16, snatching Game 1.
Finals Game 2
In the second game of the championship series, held once again at the Uno High School Gymnasium on March 22, the Jubilee Warriors came out aggressive, hoping to force a deciding Game 3.
The Warriors applied pressure with sharp floor defense, taking an early 1-4 lead. The New Lifers, however, quickly regrouped and tied the score at 4-4. A service error handed JCA a slim advantage at 5-4, but both squads exchanged attacks, refusing to give way as the score remained tight. From there, MGCNLCA flipped the momentum, unleashing a series of well-executed attacks to surge ahead 20-12. With their reception and offensive plays, the New Lifers closed out the opening set decisively, with a final 25-15.
Set two saw Jubilee respond with greater intensity, once again building an early 3-1 advantage. Trading strong serves, the New Lifers kept the match within reach at 8-10. However, Jubilee broke through with aggressive serves, sharp attacks, and solid floor defense to extend their lead to 14-8. Refusing to let up, MGCNLCA regrouped behind Sofia Cordova’s service run to tie the game at 16-16. Both teams battled point-for-point, however, MGCNLCA’s composure allowed them to execute key plays in the closing stretch to narrowly secure the set, 25-23.
In the third set, neither team gave an inch early on, trading points evenly to reach 8-8. MGCNLCA then found their rhythm to build a 17-13 advantage with various plays and sharp serves. Jubilee managed to chip away at the lead, closing the gap to 16-18, but the Lady New Lifers tightened their defense and pulled away once more. MGCNLCA completed the sweep and clinched the championship with a 25-17 victory.
The New Lifers were led by Head Coach Justine Dorog, Assistant Coach Sean Saldavia, team captain Aisha Reyes, and co-captain Diño. Reyes stood out as the Best Player of the Game in both finals matches, culminating her senior year with her service aces and dominating presence at the net.
“Knowing that it was the last time our team would be playing together and representing the school [in the PCYAA] felt so bittersweet, as it meant that we were officially saying goodbye to high school and to the people we've shared so much of our lives with. It was really through the sport that our bond and chemistry as a team was built, through the years of training and character-building experiences, which is truly something that can't be erased,” shared Reyes.
Champions since 2017, MGC New Life Christian Academy completes a historic 5-peat with this win, cementing its place as a PCYAA powerhouse. The only time the streak of the New Lifers was broken was during the pandemic.
