Yeo the man as Energy Cola zap Bolts PLDT hitters foil Lady Troopers, force ‘rubber’
Game on May 31 12:45 p.m. – PLDT vs Army
Alyssa Valdez humbly took her dream MVP award then pounded the Army defense with vicious kills and solid aces as PLDT Home Ultera scored a vengeful 25-16, 25-22, 19-25, 25-16 victory to force a winner-take-all match for the Shakey’s V-League Season 12-Open Conference crown before an overflowing Sunday crowd at The Arena in San Juan City.
Moments after receiving her first- ever Shakey’s V-League MVP plum, Valdez did what she does best – spraying the other side with her potent attacks that hardly differed when unleashed in front or at the back row, powering the Ultra Fast Lady Spikers to the one-hour, 46-minute victory that avenged their 25-13, 23-25, 25-27, 22-25 setback in the series’ opener Thursday that snapped their 10-game run from the elims to the semis of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.
That loss, which also spoiled PLDT’s ambitious sweep bid, only fired up Valdez and the rest of the Ultra Fast Hitters.
“She deserves the MVP award,” said PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb of his prized spiker, also the spearhead of the country’s campaign in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore next month. “But I told her it would be nicer if she can lead the team to the championship.”
The soft-spoken Valdez knows only too well her responsibility for herself and her team and vowed to deliver the goods next week.
“I’m so thankful and blessed for this award but this would be nothing if we can’t win the title,” said Valdez, who capped her explosive game with four service aces.
The rubber match will be played next Sunday, giving both coaches one week to re-plot their plays and strategies. The winner-take-all is expected to draw a record crowd after 5,398 paying patrons watched yesterday’s contest at the 5,000-seater venue with the organizing Sports Vision failing to accommodate a few hundreds more.
Jaja Santiago, whose mere 6-4 frame can intimidate an attacker in any given play, continued to flash her spiking prowess, ramming in 13 kills, while coming away with five blocks while veteran Charo Soriano also stepped up to fire eight hits.
Gorayeb said they succeeded in containing the power duo of Jovelyn Gonzaga and Dindin Santiago-Manabat, who came through with 16 apiece in Game One but were limited to just 12 and nine, respectively, yesterday.