PGJC-Navy fought back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth to snap Cignal’s 16-game winning streak, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 in the 2022 Spikers’ Turf Reinforced Conference, Tuesday at the Paco Arena.
EJ Casana, whose steady hands from the service line powered the comeback, delivered 18 excellent sets laced with five points to help the Sealions move up to 3-1 and tie the HD Spikers (3-1) at the second spot.
“Masayang masaya ako kasi nagawa nila ‘tong i-panalo kahit nahirapan kami nung first set,”said PGJC-Navy head coach Cecil Cruzada. “Ang galing nila kasi nag-adjust sila agad tapos nagtutulungan sila sa loob ng court kaya gumanda yung laro nila.”
Following a subpar performance in the second and third sets, Marck Espejo and JP Bugaoan stepped it up a notch in the fourth and handed Cignal a 20-12 advantage. Everything went to shambles from there as Casana went steady from the service line and ignited a seven-to-nothing run that sliced the lead to just one point.
Espejo kept the HD Spikers alive with timely hits but Joshua Umandal and Casana scored from the attack and service lines, consecutively, to put the Sealions ahead by one, 23-22.
The five-time Spikers’ Turf MVP scored another to tie the game but Ronniel Rosales scored off a running attack to push his side at match point. Umandal then finished it off with a down-the-line hit.
Umandal top-scored for PGJC-Navy with a game-high 18 points to go along with 11 excellent receptions.
Christian Marcelino added 14 while Peter Quiel and Greg Dolor added 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
With the first set locked at 20-all, Espejo delivered an off-speed hit to kick-start a 5-0 blast which he capped off with a cross-court attack to leave the Sealions in the dust.
In the second set, PGJC-Navy dealt the HD Spikers their first set loss with Dolor giving the Sealions its biggest lead at seven points, 22-15, after a combination play. Cignal could not recover from there as PGJC-Navy tied the game at 1-all.
The Sealions raced to a 24-19 advantage before being called for two consecutive net violations. Espejo followed it up with a kill to slice the lead to just two, but a service error from Louie Ramirez gave the Sealions a 2-1 lead.
Espejo led the way for HD Spikers with 17 points and 14 receptions while Bugaoan and Ramirez had 11 and 10, respectively.
PGJC-Navy looks to take its place in the semis against VNS-One Alicia on Saturday at 2:30 PM while Cignal will take on Ateneo-Fudgee Barr on Thursday at 5:30 PM.
