Villanueva steps up, keeps Sealions afloat
‘Practice pays off. He’s doing great during practice. So I told him to just play his game and don’t get pressured.’
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‘Practice pays off. He’s doing great during practice. So I told him to just play his game and don’t get pressured.’
Share
PGJC Navy cruised to a victorious start in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference, sweeping Chichi DHTSI 25-20, 25-17, 25-15 yesterday at the Ynares Sports Arena.
With Joeven dela Vega sitting out, new Sealions head coach Mike Santos gave the spotlight to Marvin Villanueva, who seized the opportunity by delivering a game-high 19 points on an efficient 14-of-23 in spikes, along with three service aces and two blocks to earn the Player of the Game recognition.
“Practice pays off. He’s doing great during practice. So I told him to just play his game and don’t get pressured,” Santos said.
After warming up in a close first set, the Sealions closed with a five-point run led by Greg Dolor, Villanueva, and Omar Lioc, with help from Titans’ errors, to seal the 25-20 opener.
That decisive 5-0 surge fueled PGJC Navy’s momentum as they dominated the next two sets, clinching the win in just 70 minutes.
Open Conference 2024 Best Outside Spiker Greg Dolor and Best Middle Blocker Peter Quiel contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the victory orchestrated by Marvin Hairami, who tallied 14 excellent sets.
PGJC Navy will have just one day to recover before facing the undefeated Far Eastern University-DN Steel on Sunday at the same venue.
Chichi DHTSI remained winless in the 10-team elimination round after four games, with their last two losses in straight sets. No Titan reached double figures, with Rafael Del Pilar leading their scorers at six points.
Chichi DHTSI returns to action on 3 November against De La Salle-EcoOil at the Philsports Arena.
