Jaja Santiago found her form in their crucial tilt over the Red Rockets to increase their chances of securing a spot in the playoff as the Ageo Medics improved to 16-10.

With the win, Saitama bounced back from a deflating four-set loss to Hisamitsu Springs, 25-22, 23-25, 33-31, 25-12, on Saturday, when Santiago was limited to seven markers.

Brazilian reinforcement Lorenne Teixeira backstopped Santiago with 19 points on 16 attacks, two blocks, and an ace, Yuka Sato added 14 points and Mami Uchiseto chipped in 13 markers.

Santiago was also hailed as the player of the game to put the squad in fifth place and trim the lead of third seed Red Rockets to just 2.5 games with seven games remaining.

Sarina Koga led NEC with 14 points in the loss, including a poor 13-of-43 in her spikes while Nanami Hirose and Kasumi Nojima got 10 and 9 points, respectively. 

Saitama looks to move in closer on the third spot as it battles defending champion JT Marvelous on Saturday, 11 am, at the Hitachinaka Sports Park Gymnasium.

In the men’s games, the squads of Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo continued to absorb losses on Sunday. 

Bagunas and Oita Miyoshi suffered defeat at the hands of JT Thunders Hiroshima, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 while Espejo saw limited minutes in FC Tokyo’s loss, 17-25, 29-27, 25-20, 29-27, against the Toray Arrows.