DN Steel-Far Eastern U stretched its winning streak to three in its debut campaign in the Spikers’ Turf, claiming a tough straight-set win over PGJC Navy, 25-19, 29-27, 25-23, on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The Ultras breezed past the Sealions in the opener but faced a challenging second set, marred by unforced errors due miscommunication. They, however, rallied midway through, holding off the Sealions in a tense finish.
DN Steel-FEU squandered three set points but managed to save a set point for PGJC Navy before Dryx Saavedra closed out the set with back-to-back clutch plays.
The win followed the Ultras' earlier four-set victories over the Chichi Titans and D’Navigators, showcasing their resilience as they join the Savouge Spin Doctors in the lead in the early going of the season-ending conference organized by Sports Vision.
“Madami pang dapat linisin kasi parang nagkakagulo kanina. ‘Yung setter ang kumukuha ng first ball, ‘di alam kung sinong aatake o kukuha,” said FEU-DN Steel head coach Eddieson Orcullo.
“Ang daming errors, plus ‘yung service sa second set crucial eh, ang daming tapon. Baka kaya ganun kasi naga-adjust siguro,” he added.
The Ultras found themselves trailing, 26-27, in the second frame before the former forced a tie on a crucial net violation from Marvin Villanueva. Saavedra then took over from there, scoring off a cross-court hit and an off-the-block attack to lift DN Steel-FEU to a 2-0 advantage.
The third set proved to be another tight encounter as Navy, determined to avoid a sweep, matched DN Steel-FEU point-for-point. Navy even led early, taking an 8-6 advantage at the first technical timeout.
However, the Ultras rallied back, capitalizing on a string of quick hits and a costly Navy miscue to take a slim 10-8 lead.
In a gripping exchange, Navy regained a slight 12-10 lead after a swipe from Dela Vega and a wide attack from Saavedra. The two teams traded powerful attacks and timely blocks as Saavedra and Mikko Espartero clashed with Dela Vega and Greg Dolor.
“Naghanda lang kami talaga sa Navy,” said playmaker Benny Martinez, who finished with 19 excellent sets and contributed two points.
Reflecting on facing players they once admired, Martinez said: “Masarap sa feeling na kalaban na namin ngayon ung mga dati naming pinapanood at ina-idolize.”
A Doula Ndongala block and a timely ace from Luis Miguel enabled the Ultras to break a 21-all count in the third set, and a late error by Dolor initially seemed to secure the win for DN Steel-FEU.
But Navy successfully challenged the call, reducing the Ultras’ lead to 22-24 with another Dolor kill saving a match point for the Sealions.
However, the Ultras’ defense held firm in the final rally, allowing Espartero to fire off a decisive cross-court kill that sealed the victory and capped an exciting straight-set match.
Saavedra led the way in FEU-DN Steel’s one-hour, 29-minute victory with 13 points, while Espartero and Lirick Mendoza added 12 and 10 markers, respectively, as the Ultras stayed unbeaten in the tournament supported by ArenaPlus, Mikasa, and Alpha Insurance & Surety Company.
Vennie Ceballos collected 15 excellent receptions and three excellent digs for the Ultras, who will face the VNS Griffings on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Philsports Arena.
Meanwhile, Dela Vega finished with 16 points on 13 attacks, two aces and a block for the Sealions, who slid to 1-1. They will battle the D’Navigators Iloilo on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
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