In a battle of two also-ran squads, Philippine Air Force secured a decisive victory against Vanguard in the 2023 Spikers' Turf Open Conference, with a straight-set win of 25-14, 26-24, and 25-23 on Sunday at the Paco Arena Sports and Events Center in Manila.
The win moves the Airmen to ninth place with a record of 2-7, while their opponents remain at the bottom of the standings with a 1-7 record.
Head Coach Melchor Carolino expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance, "Maganda na nakita namin yung ine-ensayo namin. Nakita namin nung unang set parang ayaw ng lumaban nung kalaban namin kaya sabi ko sa kanila, 'Huwag niyo ng bigyan ng kumpansya.' Kasi tulad ng second set, nagkaron ng kumpiyansa, dumikit sa 'min."
The coach emphasized the importance of conditioning and preparation, stating that, "Unang-una, hindi pa prepared 'yung mga katawan nila, so dapat kung mananalo kami straight sets, kasi pagdating ng fourth, fifth set, pagod na sila."
Air Force dominated the opening set, with veteran setter Jessie Lopez facilitating the plays that resulted in former National University standouts Edwin Tolentino and Ruben Inaudito contributing points.
However, it was Lopez's former Far Eastern University teammate Labrador who consistently delivered throughout the match. The versatile spiker ended with 16 points, 14 of which were attacks, and two blocks.
Vanguard struggled to keep up with Air Force's offense, but Razzel Palisoc was able to contribute 16 points, 15 of which came from spikes. Vince Abrot added 11 markers with nine attacks, one block, and one service ace.
