Green Spikers ends season via controversial call, clinches fourth

The damage is done. The referee’s decision is final.

“First time na ginawa nila [referees] na during game mababased sa review [to decide a play]. Never nila ginawa yun sa mga games kahit nagkamali ang tawag nila hindi nila inaano sa video, (It is the first time that the referees based their call on a video replay. They have never referred to the videos before despite making wrong calls),” Green Spikers Head Coach Sammy Acaylar shared.

It was the FEU Tamarraws that locked horns with defending champions UST Tigers in the UAAP Season 74 Men’s Volleyball Championship.

FEU returned to the Finals after escaping the Green Spikers via a controversial second call awarding FEU’s match point to end the do-or-die face off, 25-23, 19-25, 20-19, 24-26, last February 22 at the San Juan, Arena.

Sophomore Green Spiker Red Christensen salvaged a play from the left wing nailing the ball to the opponents’ backcourt.

First referee Lumer Pajarillo awarded the point, but the Morayta-side argued that it was an outside ball.

A ball that is returned and passes outside of the antennas, attached to each side of the net, is considered outside and out of play.

The game was paused; referee Pajarillo needed to consult second referee Efren Gaa to make a decision.

Game officials viewed the video replay and overruled the first call to formally grant FEU the win.

The video challenge system that allows a team to challenge a call by reviewing the play on a monitor set up is not an established practice in UAAP volleyball tournaments.

The final decision stirred DLSU’s coaching staff, causing them to file a protest about the video review among other dubious calls in the latter stretch of the fourth set.

“Protest lang para sa susunod na laban, sa susunod na liga hindi na mangyayari…Ngayon lang nila sa game namin, so magiging precedent yan, (We will just file a protest to avoid the incident from happening in the next matches and in other leagues. It is the first of its kind, so it will be a precedent to other games),” Coach Acaylar explained.

The match officially ended the Green Spikers Final’s bid against eventual champions FEU with the four-set stunner, 25-18, 14-25, 25-23, 25-20, last February 15.

The Taft-based Spikers finished fourth for the consecutive time.

“Masakit ang nangyari, ako naman proud ako sa sa team ko… Maaring next year kami na, kasi they’re intact (It was painful but I am proud of my team. The line-up is still intact, maybe next year will be our year),” Coach Acaylar ended.