Sealions, Nationals in big Spikers’ Turf tiff

NU-Sta. Elena Nationals in Spikers’ Turf. –SPIKERS TURF PHOTO

A red-hot PGJC-Navy side and formidable National U-Sta. Elena tangle Saturday with the inside track on the second finals berth in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at stake at Paco Arena.

Coming off wins to start their semifinal stints, the Sealions and the Nationals slug it out in the 2:30 p.m. game, with the winner likely earning the second title series slot even as Cignal and VNS-One Alicia tangle in the other game to stay in the running.

The Sealions repelled the Griffins, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22, while the Nationals pulled off a stirring come-from-behind 20-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-10 win over the stunned HD Spikers on Thursday.

Navy will come into the contest with a five-game winning streak and is listed as the prohibitive pick against the Nationals, who showed a lot of heart against fancied Cignal behind Michael Buddin and Nico Almendras.

The HD Spikers, on the other hand, can’t wait to vent their frustration on the Griffins in their 5:30 p.m. face-off as the back-to-back defending champions seek to duplicate their straight-sets win in the eliminations and get back into the thick of things.

But Cignal will need a healthy Marck Espejo to do the job after the power-hitting Japan league veteran, slowed down by a heel injury, was pulled out which partly aided the HD Spikers’ downfall.

The fourth-ranked Griffins, however, remain unfazed with Ron Adviento, Uriel Mendoza, Kevin Montemayor and the high-flying, crisp-hitting Ben San Andres ready and out to prove their worth as a strong title contender.