Lady Warriors rebound, subdue Oragons
AMERICAN Arielle Love and Jeanette Panaga took charge at the net as Pocari Sweat-Air Force bounced back from a previous setback with a 25-8, 23-25, 25-18, 25-16 over Iriga-Navy in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan late Wednesday.
Love and Panaga combined for seven of the Lady Warriors’ 11 blocks as the Lady Warriors banked on their solid play at the net to shake off a 15-25, 25-27, 25-17, 1925 defeat to the Creamline Cool Smashers in Batangas last weekend.
The Lady Warriors improved to 2-2 for joint fourth with Tacloban.
Creamline, PayMaya and BaliPure-NU share the early lead in the seasonopening conference organized by Sports Vision with 3-1 slates.
But the High Flyers look the wrest solo control as they take onBanKo-Perlas Spikers at 4 p.m. in tomorrow’s resumption of the tournament backed by Mikasa and Asics.
PayMaya has recovered from its shutout loss to Creamline with a 3-1 victory over Iriga last weekend and is tipped to pounce on the slumping BanKo-Perlas, which has dropped its last four games after stunning Creamline in five.
The other match will pit PetroGazz versus Iriga-Navy in a duel of struggling teams at 2 p.m. while Army and PLDT tangle in the lone men’s match at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, Love complemented her superb defensive game with 18 hits while Myla Pablo hammered in 15 kills as Pocari Sweat-Air Force overwhelmed Iriga-Navy from the attack line, 51-35.
Love finished with 25 points while Pablo backed her up with 16 markers.
Panaga as well as American Madeline Palmer also delivered from the service line as they combined for six of the Lady Warriors’ nine aces against the Lady Oragons’ four.
“In the second set, my team did not become overconfident. Our opponent also stepped up. But my team held on in the third and fourth,” said Pocari SweatAir Force coach Jasper Jimenez.
American duo Macy Ubben and Lauren Whyte logged 15 points apiece but barely got offensive help from the locals as Iriga-Navy dropped its second straight loss for a 1-2 mark at sixth.