ClearSkiiin maintains unblemished record in five-set escape

ClearSkiiin weathered a fierce comeback attempt from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, holding its nerve in a five-set battle, 25-12, 25-14, 24-26, 14-25, 15-19, to preserve its unbeaten record in the Spikers’ Turf Season 10 Invitational Conference on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The UV Smashers looked every bit the dominant side in the opening two sets before the Cavaliers, behind Ranran Abdilla and Herald Domingo, mounted a spirited comeback in the next two frames to force a decider.

ClearSkiiin, however, received a much-needed boost from the return of starting setter Klint Mateo, who rolled his left ankle after landing on Abdilla’s foot in the third set. Mateo returned in the deciding frame and helped steady the offense, guiding the UV Smashers to the two-hour victory.

“I mean, you said it right there. AFP’s got a ton of veterans and much respect to them. We obviously had a plan going in and what was kind of cool I think on their part is that they changed their plan going into set three and four,” said UV Smashers head coach Joe Bangit.

“A lot of credit goes to them. They played super fast, they had a lot more of the chance points, I thought, and it took us off our game a little bit,” he added.

ClearSkiiin came out firing in the deciding set, racing to a 5-0 lead and keeping the Cavaliers at bay to move within reach of the victory. Despite AFP's attempts to close the gap, the UV Smashers maintained their composure and protected their advantage.

KC Andrade scored off a quick attack from Renzel Antonio, while Pol Salvador was denied by a block to put ClearSkiiin at match point. Antonio, however, was stuffed on the ensuing play, allowing the Cavaliers to save a match point.

JM Ronquillo finally put an end to AFP’s resistance with an emphatic block on Abdilla, sealing the hard-earned victory for the UV Smashers.

Nas Gwaza paced ClearSkiiin with 16 points on 10 attacks, five blocks, and one ace, while Antonio tallied 14 points and 10 excellent receptions.

Jay Rack De La Noche added 12 points, Loisa Gamban contributed 11, while Angela Gayud and Ronquillo chipped in with nine markers apiece.

Kim Dayandante dished out 16 excellent sets off the bench, while Mateo finished with 12 excellent sets despite his injury. Bhim Diones anchored the floor defense with 16 excellent digs for the UV Smashers.

Meanwhile, AFP remained winless after absorbing its fifth consecutive defeat in as many games

Abdilla led the Cavaliers with 17 points, while Domingo chipped in 13 markers. Salvador and James Buytrago added 11 points apiece.