Griffins soar past Cavaliers for first win
Games on 3 November:
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
3:30 p.m. --- ClearSkiiin vs AFP
VNS-Laticrete finally entered the win column after adding more woes to the struggling Armed Forces of the Philippines, 30-28, 25-20, 25-21, in the Spikers’ Turf Season 10 Invitational Conference on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Jau Umandal and Jeremy Pedrosa teamed up on offense while playmaker John Howard Guerra orchestrated the Griffins’ fluid movement inside the court to arrest a three-game slide.
Umandal scored 17 of his 18 points on kills and added 10 excellent receptions and four digs in an all-around performance for VNS.
Pedrosa chipped in 11 markers, Raphael Galapin got all nine of his points from attacks while Guerra dished out 18 excellent sets and four markers, including the game-winning kill block to seal the one-hour, 37-minute match.
“The game was very inspiring for us because before the start of the game, the AFP players visited us and checked on the kids because we’ve been playing against them for some time. They treated our players like their nephews,” Griffin head coach Ralph Ocampo said.
Clinging to a slim 21-20 lead late in the third set, VNS-Laticrete capitalized on a service error by AFP’s Pol Salvador before Umandal hammered a spike off the blockers to extend the lead to 23-20.
James Buytrago answered with a quick hit for the Cavaliers, but Umandal struck again with a powerful spike off a mis-set before Guerra denied Alfred Pagulong at the net
Although taking on a seasoned squad stacked with veterans led by Ranran Abdilla, VNS held its own and kept the Cavaliers winless at the bottom of the standings.
“The good thing about it is that our players are learning from this. AFP is a smart and well-experienced team. It was a huge challenge for us,” Ocampo said.
The Griffin kept the pressure throughout the match and rained down 51 attack points compared to just 36 by AFP.
VNS bagged the victory despite giving away 24 points off its errors.
Abdilla was the only bright spot for the Cavaliers, finishing with 23 points on 20 kills, two kill blocks and an ace. He was also active on floor defense with 12 excellent receptions and four digs for AFP.
Buytrago had six markers while Salvador, Herald Domingo and James Buytrago scored five each for the Cavaliers.