Motolite arrests BanKo comeback; Air Force upsets Choco Mucho

MANILA, Philippines – Motolite strengthened its hold of the 2nd spot after taking a thrilling five-set victory over BanKo Perlas, 25-16, 25-21, 19-25, 29-31, 17-15, in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference on Wednesday, September 11 at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Isa Molde unloaded 24 points and stepped up in the end game as Motolite, playing minus injured skipper Myla Pablo, averted a complete meltdown against a resilient Perlas Spikers side. 

Tots Carlos had 29 markers and Iris Tonelada dished out 34 excellent sets to power Motolite, which improved to 5-2 while halting the Perlas Spikers’ four-game winning.

Bern Flora filled the spot of Pablo and registered a triple-double of 17 points, 18 excellent digs and 17 excellent receptions.

Motolite dictated the pace from the get-go with an early 5-0 run that eventually ballooned to a 12-point advantage through Aieshalaine Gannaban’s kill, on the way to a 25-16 set win.

It was more of the same in the 2nd frame but BanKo took a valiant stand by the 3rd set as Dzi Gervacio unleashed a lethal scoring spree to give Perlas Spikers the momentum they needed to extend the match. 

The Power Builders, despite wasting 3 match points, held their ground firmly in the final set and leaned on Molde’s timely offense to overcome BanKo’s resurgence.

Nicole Tiamzon scored 24 points while Gervacio had her own triple-double of 24 points, 16 receptions and 15 digs for the Perlas Spikers, who wrapped up the first round with 5-3 win-loss card.

Air Force upsets Choco Mucho

The Philippine Air Force Lady Jet Spikers picked up their first back-to-back wins of the conference as they pulled off a five-set victory against the struggling Choco Mucho Flying Titans, 26-24, 14-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-7.

Abegail Nuval provided the much-needed reinforcement off the bench to neutralize the 30-point explosion of Kat Tolentino as the Lady Jet Spikers dealt the Flying Titans their fifth straight loss.

Dell Palomata (18 points) and Angel Antipuesto (16) inflicted damage in front by combining for 34 points while Jozza Cabalsa added 11 points for the Jet Spikers, who tied Choco Mucho at 2-5.

Nuval scored 9 points, including 2 service aces that closed the match as veteran setter Wendy Semana posted 27 excellent sets and 14 digs.

Air Force erased a four-point deficit late in the 4th frame through a frantic 7-0 run led by Nuval’s 4 kills that gave them a 24-21 advantage, enough to force a deciding set.

Despite a dominant 2nd set, Choco Mucho looked lost in the 5th as the Lady Jet Spikers easily controlled the match all thanks to Cabalsa’s late detonation.

Bang Pineda returned to her libero post and manned the floor well for the Flying Titans with 41 excellent digs while Maddie Madayag and Ariana Angustia  scored 13 and 12, respectively.

Army sweeps BaliPure

The Pacifictown Army Lady Troopers booked win No.4 at the expense of the BaliPure Purest Water Defenders, 25-17, 25-16, 27-25.

The Lady Troopers  grabbed their second straight victory after a three-game skid as Royse Tubino fired 12 of her 13 points off kills while Lut Malaluan had a decent performance in the middle with 10 points.

Anngela Nunag manned the floor for the Lady Troopers with 12 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions as Sarah Gonzales dished out 12 excellent sets along with 4 service aces.

Graziella Bombita led her squad with 13 points as the Water Defenders closed their first-round campaign with a 2-6 card. – Rappler.com