Lady Warriors repel Jet Spikers, bolster semis bid

Games Tuesday

2 p.m. – Cignal vs Sta. Elena (men’s)

4 p.m. – Creamline vs Pocari Sweat (women’s)

6:30 p.m. – Air Force vs Perlas (women’s)

MANILA, Philippines - Michelle Strizak and Myla Pablo took charge as Pocari Sweat carved out a come-from-behind 21-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-14, 15-10 win over Air Force at the start of the quarterfinal round of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference last night.

Earlier, Sta. Lucia overwhelmed Army in straight sets, 25-17, 25-19, 25-21, to join Cignal HD and Air Force in the semifinal round in the men’s side.

Berlin Paglinawan, Ace Mandani, Israel Encina and Kurl Rosete stood out for the Wrecking Balls, who tied the HD Spikers at 3-1 behind frontrunning Air Force (4-1).

Strizak came through  midway in the fourth and went on to fire 24 hits while Pablo, back after two-game absence due to a back injury, sizzled with 28 points as the defending champions gained the headstart in the quarterfinal where the third to sixth placers after the double-round eliminations duel for the last two semifinal slots minus their elims records.

Pablo and Jeanette Panaga combined for six points to give the Lady Warriors an early 9-4 advantage in the fifth set while Strizak  scored two consecutive hits to send Pocari Sweat to match point, 14-9, after back-to-back kills by Thai Patcharee Saengmuang pushed the Lady Jet Spikers close at 7-9.

A hit by Maricar Nepomuceno after a save by Saengmuang clinched the match for the Lady Warriors, whose  loss to Air Force in the elims spoiled their outright entry to the semis.

“I was a little bit wary at the start but my team needed me so I just gave it my best,” said Pablo.

“Actually, we had plans of not using her (Pablo) but we were forced to since we needed a great start in the quarterfinals. We were checking on her during our spiking drills and our PT said that she was okay to play,” said Pocari Sweat head coach Rommel Abella.