By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The 1Silay Sports overcame a slow start to beat the Umingan Volleyball Club, 22-25, 32-30, 25-20, 25-19, to claim a bronze medal in the PNVF Under-21 Championship national men’s division at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday, February 2.

Ike Andrew Barelia spearheaded the offense with 30 points, building on 29 attacks and a service ace, while Vin Mark Canoy chipped in 17 markers for 1Silay.

Ronald Premaylon, 1Silay Sports head coach, said they are encountering problems in their matches as they are not used to playing in airconditioned venues.

“We’ve been having some problem getting into fighting form at the start of matches here. We’re not used to cold playing conditions,” Premaylon said.

“It was disappointing to drop the first set, but I had no doubt they would raise their game after the difficult start,” he said.

“But I am very happy with our performance this week because we were able to execute our plans,” he added.

Michael Angelo Fernandez had 18 points, while Milson Janrey Galzote contributed 17 points for Umingan, which ended in fourth place.

Meanwhile, the University of the East Junior Red Warriors recovered from a tense start to defeat Zamboanga City, 22-25, 25-27, 25-20, 25-29, to rule the tournament.

Isaiah John Roca displayed consistent performance for the Junior Red Warriors in the five-day tournament organized by the PNVF to be named as the Most Valuable Player./ASC, WDJ