Wayne Araño delivered two clutch aces down the stretch to save Colegio de San Juan de Letran from a costly upset. The Knights escaped Mapua University in a grueling five-set battle, 23-25, 27-25, 25-14, 19-25, 15-9, at Gameville Central Park on Sunday, September 13.

The win punched Letran’s ticket into the V-League Collegiate Challenge semifinals — the tournament’s first team to reach the Final Four. It also extended the Knights’ winning streak to five games, pushing their record to a league-best 5-1.

Araño Delivers When It Matters Most

The setter was far from a bystander in the finish. He closed out the match with a personal 4-0 run in the deciding set, including two unanswered aces that snuffed out any hope of a Mapua comeback.

Letran had built a comfortable 9-5 cushion in the fifth set off a 6-2 surge. Mapua clawed back to 11-9 after back-to-back unforced errors, but Araño’s late burst shut the door for good after two hours and five minutes of play.

Knights Survive Their Own Complacency

Head coach Jessie Lopez didn’t sugarcoat his frustration despite the win. He pointed to the team’s failure to close out the fourth set despite holding a 2-1 set advantage, calling the execution too relaxed for his liking.

“Hindi ako masaya. Unang-una, hinahanap ko sa kanila ‘yung pagsunod sa sistema. Masyadong complacent ‘yung galaw masyado nilang in-easy easy,” Lopez said. He admitted he spoke sharply to his players in the moment before apologizing to the team afterward.

Beyond Araño’s heroics, Dave Lardizabal anchored the offense with 21 points built on 16 attacks and five kill blocks, plus eight excellent digs on defense. Jessel Nimo added 17 points, while Christer Ambrocio matched that total with 11 excellent receptions.

On the Mapua side, Ar-Jay Ramos fought hard with 26 points and eight digs, but it wasn’t enough to complete the upset bid as the Cardinals fell to 0-6. Sam Alcantara and Adrian Musni also contributed, tallying 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Letran now turns its attention to Far Eastern University on September 27. The Knights hope to close out the elimination round on a six-game winning streak heading into the semifinals.