BRYAN Bagunas and Marck Espejo resumed their respective Japan V.League campaigns with heartbreaking losses on Saturday.
Japan V.League news
Bagunas’ 27-point effort went for naught as VC Nagano ended its 14-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 36-34, 20-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-13 over Oita Miyoshi at the Cycle Shop Kodama Osu Arena.
Bagunas unleashed 19 attacks, six kill blocks and two aces but the Weisse Adler failed to close out their 2-1 match advantage as the Tridents pulled off a comeback behind the 33-point explosion of Indonesian import Rivan Nurmulki.
Nurmulki drilled 30 kills and three blocks to lift Nagano, while Kota Ikeda chipped in 17 points from 12 spikes, three aces and two blocks as their team earned its first win in 15 matches still in the last place.
Oita Miyoshi dropped to 2-13 still in the ninth spot despite the huge effort of Bagunas.
Kota Yamada helped the Pinoy import with 20 points built on 16 attacks, two blocks and as many as aces, while Kenta Koga added 18 in defeat.
Meanwhile, Espejo struggled with six points as Panasonic routed his FC Tokyo, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17, at the Panasonic Arena Hall in Osaka.
Polish spiker Michał Kubiak powered the balanced attack of the Panthers with 13 points to improve with 9-6 record for the share of No. 4 seed with Nagoya.
Issei Otake and Akihiro Yamauchi had 12 points apiece with the latter nailing seven spikes, four blocks, and an ace, while Kenyu Nakamoto and Yuichiro Komiya added eight markers each.
FC Tokyo banked on Norwegian import Jonas Kvalen and Yuma Nagatomo, who had 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Espejo was held to five kills of his 18 spike attempts and scored a block as Tokyo slid to 4-11 card reeling in the eighth place.
The two Philippine men’s volleyball team stars seek to bounce back for their respective clubs on Sunday.
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