MANILA, Philippines -- Cagayan Valley leaned on UAAP rivals Marck Jesus Espejo and Peter Torres as it edged a fiesty Champion Infinity, 23-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 16-14, on Sunday to set in motion its title bid in the inaugural Spikers' Turf Open Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.
Espejo fired a team-best 24 hits while Torres unloaded 16 in their first ever game as teammates since the fomer's Ateneo Eagles beat the latter's National University Bulldogs in last month's UAAP finals.
Rex Intal, a teammate by back-to-back UAAP MVP Espejo at Ateneo, added nine hits for the Rising Suns, who lived up to high pre-season expectations by snaring the dramatic, come-from-behind win.
"I'm blessed to have talented players like Espejo, Intal and Torres," said Cagayan coach Nes Pamilar in Filipino.
It appeared though that Champion Infinity, formerly Systema which finished second in the Shakey's V-League men's conference late last year, is headed to victory after taking the first two sets.
But Espejo started to assert himself as he carried Cagayan in the final three sets and scored the match-clinching spike.
Cagayan almost blew it though.
After zooming to match point, 14-8, the Rising Suns turned compacent and gave the Active Smashers enough room to mount a fightback and knotted the count at 14-all on a Joven Camaganakan hit.
But an error by Christopher Antonio and the decisive kill by Espejo ended Champion Infinity's last hopes.
Camaganakan wound up leading all hitter with 26 but was outplayed by Espejo in the last play.
