RC-Army outlasts Foton, keeps lead

MANILA, Philippines - RC Cola-Army recovered from a sluggish third set before pouring it all out in the fourth to pull off a thrilling 25-20, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20 win over Foton in the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament yesterday at the San Juan Arena.

Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga, already assured of a slot in the team that will see action in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship in Manila this October, displayed their deadly form to tow the Lady Troopers to victory in the inter-club tourney bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Senoh with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Daquis delivered 18 kills, two aces and one block to finish with 21 points while Gonzaga also had a 21-point production for the RC Cola-Army, which remains undefeated in five outings to occupy the solo lead ahead of F2 Logistics (4-0) and Petron (4-1) following the marathon match that lasted  more than two hours.

“We’re a bit sluggish, but I’m so happy that somehow we pulled it off,” said RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Reyes. “We lost our coverage in the third set. We also lost the power on our spikes. That’s why in the fourth, I told them to recover. Attack Jaja (Santiago) as much as we can to make it difficult for her to execute.”

EJ Laure starred with 16 kills to finish with 18 points while Santiago chipped in 16 markers for Foton, which absorbed its third setback in five games.  

Earlier, reigning champion Petron frustrated a young Amy’s squad, 25-18, 25-10, 22-25, 25-12, in the first game.

Veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Frances Molina and Bernadeth Pons spearheaded the well-balanced offensive of the Tri-Activ Spikers, who took a breather in the third set before going hard at the young Spikers from University of Perpetual Help Dalta System in the deciding set to walk away with the morale-boosting victory.

Pontillas had nine kills and two blocks to finish the job with 12 points while Molina had 10 of her 12 points on kills and Pons chipped in 11 markers laced with six digs, four aces and a block.

After taking control early on, the Tri-Activ Spikers found themselves in trouble when their coach, George Pascua, fielded in his second stringers in the crucial stretch of the third set.

From a 22-18 advantage, the Spikers slowly crawled back as Petron suffered a couple of attack and reception errors. Then, towering Lourdes Clemente scored on a block to give Amy’s the lead, 23-22, before CJ Rosario’s attack went wide, giving the Spikers the set point.

Jhona Rosal put an exclamation point on a long rally when he scored on a beautiful drop ball to award Amy’s the victory in the third set, 25-22.

“Losing a set is part of the game,” said Pascua, who guided Petron to the All-Filipino crown last year via an emphatic 13-0 sweep. “That loss (in the third set) allowed us to test our second six so they can easily adjust to game situations when we march into the semifinals.”

It was all Petron from there as Maizo-Pontillas, Molina and Pons re-asserted their mastery.