Spikers’ Turf: Cignal cruises to 4th sweep; VNS escapes Air Force in 4 tight sets

MANILA, Philippines – The Cignal HD Spikers continued their dominant start to the 2023 Spikers’ Turf Conference after downing the PGJC-Navy Sealions, 26-24, 25-21, 25-17, for their fourth straight sweep at the Paco Arena on Wednesday, February 15.

Marck Espejo led all scorers in the win with 19 points off 16 attacks and 3 aces, while Wendel Miguel and JP Bugaoan added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Chrisitian Marcelino led the Navy with 15 points as team captain Greg Dolor scored 14 in the loss that sunk the Sealions to a 1-3 record.

In the first game of the double-header, the VNS Griffins escaped the Philippine Air Force Jet Spikers in a tight four-set win, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, to rise to a 3-2 slate.

Philip Bagalay led three other teammates in double-digit scoring with 17 points off 15 attacks, 1 block, and 1 ace to go with a whopping 29 excellent receptions in 38 attempts. Jan Mangulabnan dictated the offense with 19 excellent sets to help send the Air Force down to a 1-4 record.

Ranran Abdilla saw his game-high 25-point effort go to waste in the loss, while Rodolfo Labrador was a far second in the Jet Spikers’ tally with 11 points.

VNS will have a shot to douse Cignal’s white-hot run on Sunday, February 19, 5:30 pm, while the bounce-back-seeking Air Force and Navy figure in an Armed Forces showdown earlier at 3 pm. – Rappler.com