Dryx Saavedra and FEU-DN Steel shook off a 31-33 third set loss to take down the PGJC-Navy Sealions for their first win in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference.
Showing maturity well beyond its years, young Far Eastern University-DN Steel rebounded from a grueling third-set collapse to topple the veteran-laden PGJC-Navy in four sets, 25-23, 25-16, 31-33, 25-17, for their first win in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Friday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
After failing to close the door on the Sealions in the marathon third frame—where they squandered nine match points—the Tamaraws regrouped and came out firing in the fourth.
FEU-DN Steel unleashed a fiery 13-6 opening blitz and never looked back, sealing the victory in one hour and 58 minutes to even their record at 1-1 in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings n’ Things, and Arena Plus.
“Sa boys namin, kahit anong gawin niyan laban ‘yan. Nakita mo ‘yung galing sa bench papasok, medyo kahit sinong gamitin ko papasok at lalaban talaga. ‘Yun ang pinakamagandang character ng brotherhood na meron kami,” said FEU-DN Steel head coach Eddieson Orcullo, praising the team’s collective grit.
Down 17-20 in the third set, the Tamaraws leaned on Charles Absin, Mikko Espartero, and Dryx Saavedra to mount a furious rally, eventually reaching match point at 24-22.
Yet the Sealions refused to yield, fending off all nine match points before a Paul Salboro centerline fault handed them their own set point.
Joeven Dela Vega then capitalized with a pipe attack that extended the match, 33-31.
But that was the last gasp for PGJC-Navy.
The youthful FEU squad regained its rhythm in the fourth, with Saavedra spearheading the charge en route to a game-high 22 points built on 20-of-34 attacks and two blocks.
Absin made a strong impact off the bench, finishing with 12 points on 10-of-13 spikes and two rejections despite playing only the final three sets.
The trio of Lirick Mendoza, Espartero, and Salboro added 10 points each, while senior setter Ariel Cacao orchestrated the offense with 34 excellent sets in a well-balanced showing for Orcullo’s crew.
FEU-DN Steel looks to sustain its momentum when it faces Alpha Insurance (1-1) on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
For the Sealions, Peter Quiel—an FEU alumnus—led the charge with 12 points, while Greg Dolor was limited to just 10 markers.
Dela Vega chipped in eight, and Bonjomar Castel added nine points, including several key hits in the third set.
PGJC-Navy (0-3) will continue its search for a breakthrough victory when it battles defending champion Cignal on Wednesday at 6 p.m., still at the Paco Arena.
Fans can catch the matches live on One Sports and One Sports+, with replays and video-on-demand access available via the Pilipinas Live app and spikersturf.ph.
Games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, as well as through the Pilipinas Live app, which offers video-on-demand options. Games are also streamed via spikersturf.ph