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Marano, AirAsia open Super Liga with a bang

Levi Verora

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Marano, AirAsia open Super Liga with a bang
The AirAsia Flying Spikers announced their Philippine Super Liga All-Filipino Conference 2014 entry on a sterling note

MANILA, Philippines – The Kapitana is back.

The AirAsia Flying Spikers announced their Philippine Super Liga All-Filipino Conference 2014 entry on a sterling note, sweeping the Cagayan Lady Rising Suns in a thrilling affair on Friday, May 16 at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

The Flying Spikers, who are backed mostly by De La Salle University volleybelles, wasted no time to book their first-ever PSL victory via a hard-fought 26-24, 25-19, 27-25 dispatching of the Lady Rising Suns.

Down 10-16 in the third set, the wards of multi-titled UAAP mentor Ramil De Jesus rallied back bit by bit behind solid net coverage and floor defense before Stephanie Mercado delivered the goods in the end.

AirAsia unleashed a 9-3 run to knot the count at 19 apiece in the third frame, before Cagayan answered with four of the next five points to make it 23-20 in their favor. A Mercado miscue then pushed Cagayan at set point, 24-23.

De Jesus’ troops however, refused to roll over and die just yet.

An Angeli Tabaquero error then Mercado spike knotted the count at 25-all for one last time, before an Aiza Maizo spike that went wide and Mercado’s crosscourt kill ended it for the Flying Spikers, 27-25.

Mercado topscored for the Flying Spikers with 14 points including the final three markers, while Cruz added 10.

Second overall pick Aby Marano contributed 5 points, most coming towards the end of the first set when AirAsia needed it.

Janine Marciano, who almost single-handedly carried the Lady Rising Suns, finished with 12. Cagayan committed 31 errors compared to just 20 for AirAsia, spelling doom for their opener.

In the men’s opener, the Cignal HD Spikers had to go the distance before eking out a 25-14, 25-17, 17-25, 23-25, 15-13 win over The Systema Smashers.

Gilbert Ablan fired 28 points on 25 hits and 2 aces in the win while Systema ended up with an eye-popping 37 errors in the opening day loss. – Rappler.com

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