MANILA, June 8, 2015 – – After the electrifying Spikers’ Turf championship game on June 2, 2015 at the San Juan Arena, the PLDT HOME Ultera Ultra-Fast Spikers rose above against the Cagayan Valley Rising Suns with an overall four-set victory of 25-15, 25-11, 23-25 and 30-28.
Mark Gil Alfafara was hailed Finals Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite Spiker scoring a total of 23 points for the team, while co-star player Howard Mojica reeled in 19 points and John Vic De Guzman and Jayson Ramos added in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The heroes of the Rising Suns were Conference MVP and 1st Best Outside Spiker Marck Espejo with 14 points and Jan Paglinawan and Rex Intal with 10 points each.
The final set proved to be a challenge for the Ultra-Fast Spikers by the time the scores reached 17-21. But they made their way back on top after a 5-0 burst, leading the whole way through from 22-21 and clinching that winning sweep in the best-of-three title series. Overall, the Ultra-Fast Spikers dominated the match in spikes (53-43), blocks (19-10) and services (8-2), and finished off the Spikers’ Turf tournament with six consecutive wins.
“We are very happy for the PLDT HOME Ultera Ultra-Fast Spikers for dominating the first-ever Spikers’ Turf league,” PLDT VP and HOME Marketing Head Gary Dujali said. “It’s an amazing feat especially alongside its women’s counterpart Ultra-Fast Hitters who conquered the Shakey’s V-League championships last Sunday. Having both teams bring home the title is a privilege and a representation of the brand’s thrust to promote sports excellence.”
The inaugural Spikers’ Turf tournament was presented by PLDT HOME Ultera, the Ultra-Fast LTE for a Happy Family, and ran from April 5, 2015 to June 2, 2015. A total of eight teams participated in this league including PLDT, Champion Infinity, Cagayan Valley, Cignal, Fourbees, Air Force, Philippine Army and Instituto Estetico Manila
Coached by Odjie Mamon, the PLDT HOME Ultera men’s team comprises Team Captain Rolando Casillan, Juvie Mark Mangaring, Armando Malleon, Ron Jay Galang, Gilbert Longavela, Harby Ilano, John Vic De Guzman, Vincent Mangulabnan, John Paul Torres, Henry James Pecaña, Jayson Ramos, Kheeno Franco, Mark Gil Alfafara and Howard Mojica.
Spikers’ Turf is among the projects highly supported by PLDT HOME Ultera as part of its sports advocacy. Earlier this summer, PLDT HOME Ultera also implemented the Install Patrol tour together with the country’s top coaches, volleyball superstars and the local government units, in which they visited numerous cities nationwide to promote volleyball to young athletes at the grassroots level.
PLDT HOME Ultera delivers Ultra-Fast LTE for a Happy Family with Internet speeds of up to 10 Mbps for as low as P999 a month, reinforcing that the strongest connections are at home.