Cafeteros on the verge of LVSM title after another 5-set thriller

By THE STAR STAFF

The Cafeteros of Yauco are just one victory away from dethroning the two-time defending champion Caribes of San Sebastián, after once again prevailing in five sets in the fourth game of the Men’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSM by its initials in Spanish) Finals on Wednesday night.

The scores were 25-18, 25-27, 25-15, 24-26 and 15-8, the third match of the series to go the distance, all won by Yauco. The Caribes’ only victory, in Game 3, came in four sets.

From the start, the intensity inside Raúl “Pipote” Oliveras Coliseum was palpable. After the match, Juan Felipe Castañeda, the Colombian import for the Cafeteros, described the experience as “an honor that fills me with emotion,” emphasizing that this first experience in Puerto Rico motivates him to continue growing “as a player and as a person.”

Regarding what Yauco needs to close out the series, he insisted that the key is maintaining unity.

“We have to work together, like the big family that we are,” Castañeda said. “Every player is attentive, willing to help. It’s about staying united and taking it one step at a time.”

With the series at 2-1 in favor of Yauco, the Caribes showed signs of life in the fourth set.

When it seemed the Cafeteros would close out the match, San Sebastián reacted with a 6-2 run, coming from behind after being down 17-21. The surge included an attack error by Diego Negrón from zone four that evened the score at 23.

The Caribes took set point at 24-23 with a block on Brandon Rattray and forced a fifth set with an attack by Corey Chavers from zone four for the 26-24 win.

But in the deciding fifth set, Yauco came out with renewed determination. They pulled ahead 6-3 with an attack by Castañeda and never looked back, reaching set point at 14-8 after two errors by the Caribes -- a missed serve by Howard García and an attack by Chavers that went out of bounds -- and closed out the match when San Sebastián failed to complete the final attack.

Afterward, Caribes middle blocker Anthony Negrón, acknowledged that the night wasn’t the best for his team. “Everything went right for them; they played very well,” he said. “We tried to hold on in that fourth set, but in the fifth we didn’t have the same precision and made too many errors.”

Regarding what San Sebastian must do to extend the series, Negrón was clear: “We have to defend our home court on Friday and keep fighting until the end.”

“This isn’t over yet,” he added. “It’s a best-of-seven series; they need one more win, we need more, but we’re going to keep defending like champions.”

The series continues on Friday when the Caribes host Yauco at Luis Aymat Cardona Coliseum at 8 p.m.