Davies Paints-Adamson secured a share of the top spot in Group C by defeating St. Gerrard Construction-Benilde in four sets, 39-37, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18, in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference at the Paco Arena.
Despite the absence of head coach George Pascua, the Soaring Falcons still managed to achieve their third consecutive victory, placing them in a tie with powerhouse Cignal for the number one position, both with identical 3-0 records.
Pascua is set to miss the remainder of the Spikers’ Turf as he is currently in New Jersey, USA, conducting and attending a coaching clinic. He will return to the country in January.
“Actually, we followed his instructions. If you notice, Coach George (Pascua) is not here, but we did what he instructed. We needed to strengthen the players' endurance,” said Adamson assistant coach Fritz Santos.
Adamson pulled away late in the fourth set and established a seven-point advantage after James Marasigan committed a net fault, followed by an off-the-block hit from Francis Casas, putting them at match point, 24-17.
Casas’ attack then sailed out before Marc Paulino’s cross-court hit finally handed Adamson the victory after two hours and seven minutes of action.
Casas led the Soaring Falcons with 17 points on 15 attacks and two blocks. John Gay added 16 points and 10 excellent receptions, while Jude Aguilar chipped in 16 points as well with 13 attacks, two aces, and one block.
On the other hand, Arnel Aguilar led the Blazing Builders, who slid to 1-1 and are tied with Saints and Lattes-Letran at the third spot, with 18 points and 13 excellent digs, while Jacob Herrera had 16 markers on 13 attacks and three kill blocks.
