Jaja Santiago and the Saitama Ageo Medics. –SAITAMA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Jaja Santiago opened her fifth season in Japan V.League with an impressive nine-point performance as the Saitama Ageo Medics dominated the NEC Red Rockets 25-21, 25-19, 25-13, on Saturday at Todoroki Arena.
The 6-foot-5 Filipino middle blocker was efficient in attacking with a 6-of-13 clip and nailed three of the Ageo Medics’ blocks, single-handedly outscoring the whole Red Rockets’ blocking after they only finished with two from Misaki Yamauchi.
Santiago started and played in all three sets as Saitama pounced on the absence of Japanese national team star Sarina Koga, who didn’t play, to kick off its 2022-23 V.League season with a rousing win after an hour and 27 minutes.
Yuka Sato and Aki Meguro led the charge for the Ageo Medics to win their first game of the season despite their Serbian import Sara Lozo sitting out in the game.
Sato showed the way with 13 points, all coming from kills. Meguro chipped in 10 points, including three aces, while Momoko Niida was also instrumental with nine markers off eight spikes and a block.
Lozo, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, just joined her new team on Monday. The 25-year-old, who played in their local club leagues and Kazakhstan pro league before taking her act to Japan, was part of the Serbian national team’s title run in the 2022 FIVB Women’s World Championship Netherlands and Poland.
Santiago and her teammates gun for a weekend sweep against the NEC Red Rockets on Sunday at 12 noon (Manila time).
In the absence of Koga, Ayumi Yoshida stepped up for last season’s fourth placer with 14 points, while Yamauchi and Kaori Ueno added eight markers each but their team gave up 26 errors unlike Saitama, which only committed 11 miscues in the match.