PGJC-Navy held off Maverick in a tight third set to complete a 25-20, 25-11, 25-20 sweep for its second consecutive victory in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference, Wednesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The Sealions previously dropped their debut against defending champion Cignal.
But they have now won their last two games against Philippine Air Force and the Hard Hitters, to move to the second spot with a 2-1 standing.
“So far, so good naman. Ang importante nananalo kahit naong set, yun naman ang sabi ko sa kanila eh,” said Navy head coach George Pascua after the victory.
With Maverick threatening to extend the match, Navy capitalized on the opposing side’s errors. It kickstarted a 3-0 run to break an 18-all deadlock and transformed it into a 21-18 advantage.
Jeffrey Alicando committed a service error in the following play which put the Hard Hitters to within two.
However, Marvin Villanueva, Peter Quiel, and John Jacob joined hands in the Sealions’ 4-1 finishing kick to end the match in an hour and 21 minutes of play.
“Confident naman ako na kaya nilang kumapit sa mga ganung crucial moment (third set) kasi nga ini-ensayo namin yung mga ganung scenario. ‘Di na ako nagduda sa kanila na ‘di namin mao-overcome,” added Pascua.
Joeven Dela Vega once again starred for Navy with 15 points on 13 attacks, an ace, and a block.
Meanwhile, Jacob and Quiel chipped in 10 points each, with the latter also securing three kill blocks in the victory.
Louie Pudadera tossed 14 excellent sets to steer the Sealions’ offense. Jack Kalingking registered 21 excellent receptions and 11 excellent digs.
Navy takes on RichMarc Sports 3B next on April 5, Friday, 4:00 PM at the Ynares Sports Arena in hopes of stretching its winning streak to three games.
On the other hand, the Hard Hitters dropped to 0-2, tied with the Elite Spikers.
No player from Maverick reached double figures in scoring. Razzel Palisoc scored seven points, with Jerome Cordez adding six markers.
The Hard Hitters will try to enter the win column on Wednesday, 4:00 PM against Iloilo also in Ynares.
