Tacloban, Pocari score bounce-back wins

MANILA, Philippines – Tacloban rebounded from a shutout loss to PetroGazz with a straight-set 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 romp over Iriga-Navy in an out-of-town sortie in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Open Conference at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center in Malolos, Bulacan on Wednesday, September 26.

Far Eastern U’s stalwart Heather Guino-o unleashed a 10-kill game she laced with two service aces and a kill block to power the Fighting Warays to the lopsided victory. 

The Bicol-based squad struggled against the hot-starting Warays with Guino-o complementing with Jovielyn Prado, Mary Anne Esguerra and former NCAA MVP Shola Alvarez to deal the Lady Oragons their second straight defeat. 

Prado matched Guino-o’s output with the duo combining for 21 of the team’s 40 attacks and producing 11 digs each to underscore the team’s superb floor defense.

“The girls were able to adjust fast from our ugly loss (to PetroGazz),” said veteran Tacloban coach Nes Pamilar. “This win should further boost their morale.”

Pocari-Air Force, meanwhile, banked on Myla Pablo’s power hits and pounced on PetroGazz miscues in the decider to fashion out a 25-20, 29-31, 25-15, 17-25, 15-5 victory for a 1-1 card later in the night.

Pablo fired three of her 20 points in the fifth, which the Lady Warriors dominated with an eight-point binge, aided by two PetroGazz errors, while holding their rivals to a measly one-point out that turned what seemed to be a tight ending into a lopsided finish.

At 8-1, Pocari drew another hit from Jeanette Panaga and the Lady Warriors cruised to victory on Jossa Cabalsa’s back-to-back aces and a May Ann Pantino hit.

The Angels, who opened their campaign with a shutout win over the Fighting Warays, dropped their second straight game following a four-set defeat to the BanKo-Perlas last Sunday.

Tacloban guns for a second straight win against the debuting Adamson-Akari on Sunday back at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

With Guino-o and Prado on the firing end, the Fighting Warays dominated the match throughout, never giving their rivals a chance to recover. They raced to a 22-14 lead in the fourth and though Iriga-Navy scored three of the next four points, the Warays regrouped and finished off the Lady Oragons behind a kill block and on Tubiera’s hit.

Iriga-Navy, which drew 12 points from Grazielle Bombita, fell to 0-2. – Rappler.com