The Philippine Air Force Jet Spikers relied heavily on cousins Ranran Abdilla and Fauzi Ismail to come away with a tight, five-set debut win over the PLDT Home Fibr Ultra Fast Hitters, 25-15, 22-25, 24-26, 25-16, 15-12, in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The Tawi-Tawi natives Abdilla and Ismail carried Air Force’s offense. National team veteram Abdilla scored a game-high 28 points while Ismail, fresh from a UAAP championship campaign with National U, added 25 points.
The pair’s incendiary scoring was enough to off-set the Jet Spikers’ 41 errors, the culprit for their set losses. Head coach Rhovyl Verayo charges Air Force’s miscues to early-season rust.
“Maaga pa kasi ‘yung season. Nag-aadjist pa kami kasi may mga player na medyo bago pa o kakabalik pa lang sa lineup,” said Verayo. “Kundisyon naman kami, pero work-in-progress pa ‘yung chemistry.”
Other than errors, Air Force dominated every scoring category. They notched a 62-49 spikes gap, a 10-2 advantage in blocking and a 9-2 aces tally.
The Jet Spikers take on the Army Troopers on May 19.
Johnvic De Guzman led PLDT, who returned from a two-season hiatus, with 18 points. He was the only Ultra Fast Hitter in double-digits.
The Ultra Fast Hitters face IEM on May 16 at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The Scores
Air Force (3) – Abdilla 28, Ismail 25, Tolentino 10, Malabanan 7, Fuentes 6, Mojica 3, De Ocampo 1, Dimculangan 1, Mangaring (L), Canlas (L)
PLDT (2) – De Guzman 18, Galang 9, Pecaña 8, Sumagaysay 7, Franco 5, Alfafara 3, Villegas 3, Dela Vega 0, Orian 0, Vecina 0, Melgar (L)
