LIPA City—Justine Dorog sustained her solid play as Chery Tiggo overcame a stubborn California Precision Sports (CPS), 25-22, 27-25, 25-23, to regain its winning ways the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League on Monday at the Aquamarine Recreational Center.
Dorog continued to fill in for injured Shaya Adorador and was solid in defense with 15 receptions, 10 digs and seven attacks for the reigning Premiere Volleyball League Open Conference champions.
“Justine Dorog really played very well. I thanked her, given her skills it’s a given,” said Crossovers coach Aaron Velez after the one-hour, 26-minute contest. “She has the determination to lead the team and set an example.”
“More than the points, it’s the heart and leadership of Justine that I would want to praise,” he added.
With her consistent showing on both ends, Dorog, a former University of the Philippines standout, is repaying the trust given to her by Velez.
“I simply applied the learnings that my coach has taught me during training,” Dorog said. “The eagerness is there, because it has been a while since I took the spiker position. I was too excited and that’s why I am performing my best so far.”
Mylene Paat scored 17 points and Dindin Santiago-Manabat, who dropped a tournament-best 37 points in Chery Tiggo’s five-set loss to PetroGazz on Sunday night, played sparingly and finished with seven points and 10 receptions.
Joy Dacoron also scored seven points for the Crossovers, who remained in third place with a 2-1 won-lost card in the tournament that has Rebisco, Pitmaster Foundation Inc., Top Speed, 1Pacman Partylist, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee as platinum sponsors and F2 Logistics, Asics, PLDT, MVP Sports Foundation and Mikasa as gold sponsors and BCDA, Philippine Red Cross, Lipa City, Davis Paint and Emerald PVC Pipes, Fittings and Doors as silver sponsors with PNVF godfather, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Champions League, giving his full support.
CPS, which failed to sustain its leads in the second and third sets, dropped to a fighting 0-3.
Casiey Dongallo paced CPS with 23 points, including two blocks, while Jelai Gajero also continued to impress with 14 points, 13 digs and seven receptions.
Praises continue to pour on the young CPS side.
“They are very admirable. Very disciplined. You can see already their determination and it’s going to be a bright future for them,” Velez said.