Patriotas Rally and Complicate Gigantes de Adjuntas Playoff Chances

ADJUNTAS, Puerto Rico, December 11, 2025.- The Gigantes de Adjuntas let a two-set lead slip away and ultimately fell in five sets to the Patriotas de Lares at the Rafael Llull court, in the only match on the schedule in the Men’s Superior Volleyball League.

The loss earned them just one point, when they needed all three to stay tied with the Changos de Naranjito for the final playoff spot.

The scores were: 21-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, and 15-8.

Lares picked up two points to improve their record to 11-8 and 34 points, strengthening their hold on fourth place. Adjuntas, meanwhile, dropped to seventh with a 5-14 record and 18 points.

In the third set, a 6-3 run by Patriotas tied the set at 15. Eric Ramos secured a key ball that forced Gigantes to call a timeout. After the break, Jair Santiago attacked from zone two, broke through the block, and, combined with a successful block, pushed Lares ahead 18-15. They never looked back, extending the match to a fourth set.

Patriotas reached set point at 24-20 with a back-row attack from Santiago and closed the set 25-20 with a block on Cristian Encarnación.

In the fourth set, Lares opened with a 4-0 run and stayed in front the entire way, sealing it 25-21 with a zone-four attack by Johan León to force the decider.

The fifth set was tied at 6-6, but three straight points by Lares, including an attack from León, gave them a 9-6 lead. Two consecutive blocks from Santiago brought the Patriots to 13-7, and they ultimately claimed the victory 15-8, with León attacking from zone two.

Patriotas offense was shared among Jair Santiago (23), Johan León (21), Eric Ramos (14), and Nick West (10).

For Adjuntas, Roberto Pérez was the top scorer with 20 points.

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