Jose Rizal University scored an emphatic victory to open its NCAA Season 95 Men’s Volleyball campaign, thumping San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 25-14, 27-25, 25-14, Thursday morning at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Save for the second frame that went the extra mile, the Heavy Bombers hardly broke a sweat. They pounced on the gaping hole of the Golden Stags, who struggled with their floor reception and were out of sorts on the court after playing without a libero.
“Masaya naman po kami kasi ‘yung mga sacrifices na ginawa namin during practice hindi biro eh. So, every other day practice kami kaya masaya naman na makita ngayon ‘yung result na kailangan talaga namin manalo kasi umpisa palang, maganda na ang record,” said JRU head coach Ryan Dela Paz.
And it was the troika of June Laxina, Lester Villaceran Jr., and Arjay Ausina that exploited San Sebastian beleaguered defense, spearheading JRU’s straight-set conquest.
Laxina topped the charts with 12 points anchored on 10 attacks. Villaceran and Ausina chipped in 11 and 10 markers, respectively, with the latter notching four of his team’s seven blocks.
Matthew Miguel and team captain Hernan Salazar also made their presence felt for JRU, contributing seven and six points, respectively.
Wilber Cebrero tossed 13 excellent sets to generate the offense for the Heavy Bombers, who outgunned the opposition on all fronts.
JRU also held all Golden Stags below double-digit in scoring.
John Mark Lim and Robbie Pamittan topped San Sebastian with nine points each, as Reynald Honra had seven.
Jose Rizal University looks to sustain momentum when it takes on San Beda. Meanwhile, San Sebastian tries to barge into the win column when it faces Perpetual next. Both matches will be played on Saturday, January 18 at the same venue.
