Jaja upends Dindin in PLDT win
Games tomorrow 2 p.m. – Navy vs Army 4 p.m. – PLDT vs Coast Guard
PLDT Home Ultera outdueled defending champion Army in a back-and-forth third set thriller and completed a 25-16, 25-23, 28-26 victory to gain a share of the lead with Cagayan Valley in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Open Conference at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.
Jaja Santiago scored on a block and former MVP Suzanne Roces blasted in a side smash off Rachel Ann Daquis, ending a wild, wooly third set and giving the Ultra Fast Hitters their second straight win and a shared view of the top of the eight-team field in the season-opening tournament of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.
Meralco later joined Cagayan Valley and PLDT Home Ultera in the lead with an easy 25-17, 25-8, 25-14 romp over newcomer Baguio.
Army, which played without top hitter and former league MVP Jovelyn Gonzaga, fell to 1-1 in a tie with Navy.
The straight-set romp didn’t reflect the manner by which the Ultra Fast Hitters slugged it out with the equally talented Lady Troopers – spike-for-spike, block-for-block, dig-for-dig, only they proved steadier in the end of a highly electrifying match watched by 2,734 fans at the venue and thousands more at homes over GMA News TV Channel 11 which aired the highly anticipated match live.
PLDT did top Army in the scoring skills, 39-33 (spikes), 8-5 (blocks) and 10-4 (serves) but save for the opening frame, the Lady Troopers kept coming back but lost steam and poise in the end of each of the next two sets to the chagrin of the huge number of volley fans who had braced for a long drawn battle between the league’s two top teams.
Alyssa Valdez played true to form, upfront or at back row, finishing with 19 hits, including four on attacks, while Roces and Santiago chipped in 10 points apiece for the Ultra Fast Hitters, who also drew a combined 18-point game from Elaine Kasilag, Charo Soriano, Gretchel Soltones and Rubie de Leon.
PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb also sprang a surprise in Kasilag, who delivered key hits in the last two sets, including a set-clinching serve in the second frame that hit the net but dropped into the other side to the disappointment of the Lady Troopers.
“We had a good combination and chemistry, especially Alyssa and Jaja. Elaine also played well. Actually, she’s good that’s why I took her in our Asian U-23 team,” said Gorayeb, who also cited his wards’ superb floor defense that kept the ball in play and gave them scoring opportunities throughout the one-hour, 22-minute encounter.
The 20-year-old Kasilag, one of the most sought-after rookies during the off-season, has vied in both indoor and beach volley meets for the University of Perpetual Help-Laguna and has represented the country in the AVC Beach Volley Continental Cup Zonal Qualifiers last year.