GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, November 6, 2024. – In the opening match of Semifinal A of the Men’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSM), the Guaynabo Mets successfully defended their home turf, Mario “Quijote” Morales Coliseum, rallying from behind in five sets against a tenacious Yauco Cafeteros.
“A very tough game. We hadn’t played in over a week, so finding our rhythm took some effort, but our team is so experienced that they did everything they could to win in five,” said team captain Ramón Burgos after the match.
Reflecting on being down two sets to none, he added, “The truth is, we’ve been in situations like this before, maybe not this year, but in previous years. We have a roster with players who’ve won two, three, four, five championships, so we have the experience, the calm, and we played better volleyball toward the end”.
Asked if the series was over after this result, the Mets’ captain concluded, “No, this series promises a lot, and we need to bring our best game every day”.
The scores were 21-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-11.
Guaynabo, who had not lost in three sets since October 15 against Carolina Giants, tightened up and extended the game to a decisive set with teamwork and strong offensive performances by Gregory Torres, Gianluca Grasso, and Inovel Romero. They claimed sets three and four with scores of 25-16 and 25-20.
In the fifth set, the home team started with a 5-0 lead, crossed the court side switch at 8-4 by tightening the net defense, and reached set point at 14-10 with an attack from the back row by Gianluca Grasso; they closed the victory with a 15-11 score.
Gianluca Grasso led the Mets with 20 points, closely followed by Gregory Torres with 18 and Inovel Romero with 10.
For Yauco, Mark Frazier scored 21 points, Diego Negrón contributed 11, and Jessie Colón added 10.
Guaynabo surpassed Yauco in attacks 59 to 46 and in digs 58 to 43, while Yauco had the advantage in blocks, 13 to 10.
The series continues this Friday in Yauco, with the match scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM.
The semifinal series are best-of-seven (4). The Grand Final for the KIA Cup begins two days after the last semifinal ends.
Semifinal B starts this Thursday, November 7, at Luis Aymat Cardona Stadium, where San Sebastián Caribes will host Naranjito Changos at 8:00 PM.
SEMIFINAL SERIES A
GAME #1 – Wednesday, November 6 – 8:00 PM Yauco at Guaynabo / 2-3 (21-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-11)
GAME #2 – Friday, November 8 – 8:00 PM Guaynabo at Yauco
GAME #3 – Sunday, November 10 – 5:00 PM Yauco at Guaynabo
GAME #4 – Wednesday, November 13 – 8:00 PM Guaynabo at Yauco
GAME #5 (IF NECESSARY) – Friday, November 15 – 8:00 PM Yauco at Guaynabo
GAME #6 (IF NECESSARY) – Monday, November 18 – 8:00 PM Guaynabo at Yauco
GAME #7 (IF NECESSARY) – Thursday, November 21 – 8:00 PM Yauco at Guaynabo
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