By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Rebisco men’s volleyball team ended their 2021 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship stint on a high note after outlasting the CEB Sports Club of Sri Lanka, 25-14, 22-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-11.
Eager to pull off the much-needed win to avoid the last spot in the tournament, the Filipino spikers played with all their heart that helped them clinch the ninth overall spot.
Jao Umandal was once again the star of the match after scoring 28 attacks on top of his five blocks and three service aces.
Backstopping the heavy-hitting Umandal are national team veterans John Vic De Guzman and Nico Almendras who each scored 11 points apiece.
It was a total team effort for the Rebisco squad including a valiant effort in the blocking department as Kim Malabunga and Francis Saura did a decent job in the middle with 10 combined blocks.
It was a thrilling five-setter clash as the Sri Lankan volleyball squad didn’t back down from the challenge despite Umandal’s offensive exhibition.
In the fifth and deciding set, the Filipinos pulled away and refused to give away freebies with Umandal closing the show for the final point with a well-placed spike down the line.
