Fighting Warays smother Lady Oragons

MANILA, Philippines — Tacloban rebounded from a shutout loss to PetroGazz with a straight-set 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 romp over Iriga-Navy in an out-of-town sortie in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Open Conference at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center in Malolos, Bulacan yesterday.

Far Eastern U’s stalwart Heather Guino-o unleashed a 10-kill game she laced with two service aces and a kill block to power the Fighting Warays to the lopsided victory over the team that gave the league-leading BanKo-Perlas Spikers a scare before bowing out in four in last Saturday’s inaugurals of the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

But the Bicol-based squad struggled against the hot-starting Warays with Guino-o complementing with Jovielyn Prado, Mary Anne Esguerra and former NCAA MVP Shola Alvarez to deal the Lady Oragons their second straight defeat in the double-round elims.

Prado matched Guino-o’s output with the duo combining for 21 of the team’s 40 attacks and producing 11 digs each to underscore the team’s superb floor defense.

“The girls were able to adjust fast from our ugly loss (to PetroGazz),” said veteran Tacloban coach Nes Pamilar. “This win should further boost their morale.”

Tacloban guns for a second straight win against the debuting Adamson-Akari on Sunday back at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

With Guino-o and Prado on the firing end, the Fighting Warays dominated the match throughout, never giving their rivals a chance to recover. They raced to a 22-14 lead in the fourth and though Iriga-Navy scored three of the next four points, the Warays regrouped and finished off the Lady Oragons behind a kill block and on Tubiera’s hit.

Iriga-Navy, which drew 12 points from Grazielle Bombita, fell to 0-2.

Pocari-Air Force and PetroGazz, meanwhile, were clashing at presstime in a match featuring the Lady Warriors’ top hitter Myla Pablo and her sister Marites of the Angels.