The De La Salle University Green Spikers returned to the winning column in a hard-fought 21-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 27-25 victory against their archrivals, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, on Wednesday, April 2.
The heart and soul of that victory was Noel Kampton, who was celebrating his 25th birthday. Kampton scored a game-high 27 points in 23 attacks, three blocks, and an ace. However, there’s a storyline that cannot be found just by looking at the stat sheet alone.
In the fourth set, Jose Roque made a controversial decision to bench his main gunner Kampton and told him, “Pahinga ka lang d’yan, may fifth set pa.” Fortunately for the Green Spikers, Vince Maglinao stepped up in the absence of Kampton and forced a fifth set.
“Sa totoo, medyo napanghihinaan na ako ng loob kasi sabi ko baka ito na ‘to na matatalo kami, pero nakita ko naman na gumana sila lahat. Sabi ko, ‘Okay, may fifth set ito,’” Kampton said after the game.
“Nung fifth set, sinabihan ko si coach [Jose Roque], ‘Coach, huwag mo na ako ipasok kasi ang ganda ng nilalaro nila.’ Pero sabi sa akin ni Coach, ‘Hindi, may tiwala ako sa’yo.”
When players were already exhausted from the extended fifth set, it was Kampton who delivered points after points that ultimately led to their victory.
Kampton, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, added, “Alam mo ‘yung kahit may times na off game ka, tapos ganun sinabi sa’yo ng coach mo, mas tumaas ‘yung kumpyansa ko, and sabi niya sa akin, pa-birthday daw niya sa akin ngayon.”
“Happy ako kasi ngayon lang ako nanalo sa birthday ko. Lahat ng games sa UAAP, ‘pag birthday ko, puro talo ako, e.”
For Roque, what he wanted to see in the fifth set was the heart of his players. He said, “Actually, it’s not about the skills anymore during the fifth set. It’s about how they fight. The skills are already there, they’re equipped for that. What I was looking from them was how they would fight for this game.”
With the win, the Green Spikers forced a three-way tie with the Blue Eagles and the University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers in the standings with an identical 6-4 win-loss record, settling at third to fifth place.
The Green Spikers will next face the still winless University of the East Red Warriors on Saturday, April 5, at 11 am at the Araneta Coliseum.
