Army-Katinko Oil put on a show to open its clash against PGJC-Navy in the 2022 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Thursday night.
Playing against a Sea Lions side that was coming off a heart-breaking five-set loss against National University-Sta. Elena, the Troopers made sure to pounce early and kick-started the first set with a 10-3 blast that PGJC-Navy never recovered from.
Army-Katinko Oil also went the extra mile to let the opposing side know what was happening throughout the opener, jeering the Sea Lions after every point.
Unfortunately for them, Jau Umandal heard them. And he heard them loud and clear.
After a slow first set, Umandal torched the Troopers with a conference-best 29 points on 26 attacks, two aces, and a block to go along with 10 excellent receptions and seven digs to lead PGJC-Navy’s 20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 win over Army-Katinko Oil.
“So kami kasi ‘di kami pwedeng magpaapekto sa kanila e, so kung ano yung ginagawa nila sa amin siguro sumasabay kami. Although nageenjoy kami, nagfofocus pa rin kami sa game, sinasabayan namin sila pero wala yun, laro lang talaga,” said Umandal.
Aside from helping his team bounce back, the national team standout said that the taunting from the Troopers definitely played a big part in his breakout performance.
“Medyo, kasi kapag nakakascore ako pwede akong mangasar e. ‘Pag ‘di ako nakascore bawal ako mangasar, ‘di ba,” said Umandal, who made sure to return the gesture during the fourth set.
“Syempre ginawa ko yung best ko para sa team kasi galing kami sa talo e so parang ang hirap pa rin na mag move on kasi fresh pa yung nangyari samin e, parang isang araw lang,” he added.
The former UST star also downplayed the on-court antics between both squads, insisting that that is just how it is when two teams from the Armed Forces collide inside the court.
“Di naman bago sa volleyball yun, talaga namang ganun na yun. Lalo na parehas nasa (armed forces) yung naglalaro, so wala lang sa kanila yun. Ganun talaga sila maglaro ever since e, kahit wala pa ako sa Navy nakikita ko ganun talaga sila maglaro,” said Umandal.
“Pero ayun, mga kuya ko ‘yan e kasi dapat sa Army na ako dati kaso pumasok nga ‘tong AVC, yung national team namin so ayun nga, nagdesisyon ako kung anong mas mahalaga sa akin kaya part pa rin sila ng volleyball career ko kasi nakasama ko rin sila.”
