After 55 years, Cafeteros are crowned champions of LVSM

The Cafeteros celebrated their first Men’s Superior Volleyball League title since 1971 on Saturday night in Yauco.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Cafeteros of Yauco are the Men’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSM by its initials in Spanish) champions once again, after a 55-year wait.

The Cafeteros defeated the two-time defending champion Caribes of San Sebastián in the fifth match of the LVSM finals at Luis Aymat Cardona Coliseum in San Sebastián on Friday night to end a drought that began when Luis A. Ferré was the governor of Puerto Rico.

“One word to describe this championship: grateful. Grateful to the town. Grateful to the Yauco fans,” team owner Jorge Báez said. “This championship is for them, for the players, for the therapists, for the coaches. This is for the people. May they enjoy it … and we’re going for more.”

“The [semifinal] series against the Plataneros of Corozal prepared us for what was to come,” he added. “We went all out. The guys were a little tired, but focused. That prepared us to face the Caribes.”

Looking ahead, Báez said the core of the team will remain practically intact.

“The team will remain basically the same,” he noted. “Everything will depend on the prior commitments of the reinforcements, but the intention is to keep most of the roster.”

The five-set victory on Friday night marked the franchise’s first title since 1971 and unleashed a historic celebration for Yauco volleyball.

The set scores were 25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 20-25 and 15-11 in a final series that was distinguished by its intensity: four of the five matches went the distance, all won by Yauco.

San Sebastián obtained its only victory in the third match, decided in four sets.

The Most Valuable Player of the finals was setter Kevin Rodríguez, who was also recognized as Setter of the Year and as a member of the All-Star Team of the regular season.

LVSM president César Trabanco congratulated the franchise on its historic achievement.

“We extend our congratulations to the Cafeteros of Yauco for this well-deserved championship,” he said. “Their dedication, discipline, and commitment to their community were reflected in every point. Today Yauco celebrates, and all of Puerto Rican volleyball celebrates.”

Juan Felipe Castañeda led the winning offense with 24 points, followed by Brandon Rattray with 20 and Diego Negrón with 15.

For the Caribes, Pelegrín Vargas Jr. led with 22 points, while Ezequiel Cruz, Pedro Nieves and Mark Frazer added 14 each.

In team statistics, Yauco dominated in attacks (64-59), blocks (9-8), digs (57-41) and assists (22-13). San Sebastián was superior in aces (10-3) and passes (62-41).