Yauco rallies to beat Corozal, is a win away from LVSM finals

Juan Felipe Castañeda, right, led the way for Yauco with 24 points.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Cafeteros of Yauco came from behind and, in a thrilling fifth set, defeated the Plataneros of Corozal on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-five semifinal series of the Men’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSM by its initials in Spanish). With the victory, Yauco is just one step away from advancing to the final series.

The scores were: 18-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-20 and 15-13.

With the match tied at two sets apiece, the deciding set began with an explosive start from the Cafeteros, who took a 3-0 lead thanks to three consecutive points from Colombian Juan Felipe Castañeda.

However, the Plataneros responded with solid defense and an effective counterattack to tie the set at 9, fueled by attacks from Spencer Olivier from zone four.

When it seemed that Corozal was headed for victory after a 3-0 run that included a failed attack by Yauco’s Jessie Colón in the middle to make the score 12-9, the Cafeteros fought back again. The hosts tied the score at 13, taking advantage of a missed spike by Olivier from zone two.

The stage was set for Brandon Rattray and Daniel Rivera to seal the victory for the Cafeteros with precise spikes that unleashed celebrations in Pipote Oliveras Coliseum.

The series continues this Friday at Carmen Zoraida Figueroa Court, home of the Plataneros, starting at 8 p.m.

If Corozal wins, the series will return to Yauco on Sunday for a winner-take-all seventh match.

Whether it takes one more match or two, the Caribes of San Sebastián are still awaiting the Yauco-Corozal winner for a date in the finals.

In the team statistics, Yauco had a 5-4 edge in aces and dominated in assists, 28-14. Corozal, meanwhile, outplayed the Cafeteros 67-56 in attacks, 14-12 in blocks, 70-53 in digs, and 55-47 in passes.

Yauco’s offense was led by Castañeda with 24 points, while Colón and Rattray each contributed 11.

For Corozal, Jalen Penrose led the offense with 30 points, followed by Olivier with 20 and Joseph Oquendo with 13.