MANILA, Philippines – Following a poor start, PGJC – Navy defeated VNS-One Alicia on Saturday at Paco Arena by scores of 26-28, 25-18, 25-16, and 25-23 to win the bronze medal of the 2022 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference. 

The Sealions’ top scorer in the league and on the team, Jau Umandal, played only minimally; but, his teammates rose up, and Ronniel Rosales led the way with 15 points to defeat the Griffins in an hour and 50 minutes. 

Following a victory last Thursday of 25-20, 25-19, and 25-21, Navy captain Greg Dolor scored 13 points to end the series. Peter Quiel and Joeven Dela Vega both contributed 12 points to help their squad earn its first podium finish of the competition.

Dolor remarked in Filipino, “We’re really delighted since Navy has been competing in the league for a while, but it never manages to win the championship. “Even though we had only two months to prepare, our team is proud of how hard we battled all the way to the end.” 

Christian Marcelino and Umandal both scored nine points, while EJ Casana dispensed 24 superb sets. Vince Lorenzo, the libero, secured the floor with nine digs and 20 top-notch receptions. 

For the upcoming competition, Navy head coach Cecille Cruzada hopes that the squad will retain its core members because she thinks that if they stick together for the long run, they may win the championship.

“Despite having new players, we are pleased with the outcomes. We may be able to realize our dream of winning a championship if we can maintain this lineup, according to Cruzada. 

With 19 points, three aces, 10 catches, and four digs to go with his second-best outside spiker title, Ben San Andres led VNS. With 15 points from Kevin Montemayor, they were content to finish in fourth position.

After being defeated by the Griffins in the prolonged first set skirmish, the Sealions pulled themselves together and asserted their strength on offense and in goal in the following two sets to regain control. Additionally, they controlled most of the fourth but faltered down the stretch, allowing the Griffins to rack up points and close the gap to 23-24. 

Earlier, Navy’s offense was led by Ron Rosales, who scored 15 points on 12 attacks and three kill blocks. Skipper Greg Dolor contributed 13 points, and Joeven dela Vega finished with 12 points. 

Mike Gonzalvo contributed 15 points, and San Andres scored 16 attack points and three aces for VNS.