Perlas passes COVID-19 hurdle; Choco Mucho shoots for No. 2

Games Friday
3 p.m. – Sta. Lucia vs Choco Mucho
6 p.m. – Petro Gazz vs Cignal HD

ILOCOS NORTE – Kept off the court for a week, Perlas finally gets the chance to come out of its shell and launch its campaign in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference against Petro Gazz on Sunday at the PCV Socio-Civic Cultural Center in Bacarra here.

Though no one from among the players and coaches tested positive for COVID-19 since they entered the bubble, the Perlas Spikers’ games were deferred as the league moved them to isolation rooms individually to ensure their health and safety after a member of the team delegation yielded a positive result days before the inaugurals of the country’s first-ever pro league.

But after undergoing quarantine, all members yielded negative RT-PCR test results, paving the way for the team’s stint and thus completing the 10-team cast chasing the top four places in the single round eliminations.

But it will be a grueling week for Perlas, set to play four games in the next seven days, including a pair of back-to-back matches against Petro Gazz and Cignal HD and versus Chery Tiggo and Creamline next Friday and Sunday, respectively.

“We were told, it is just a delay…not a denial,” the Perlas Spikers said in a post. “Thank you to everyone who has whispered a prayer, who has sent encouraging messages and who has rallied behind us!”

“Above all, thank you Dear God. All Glory to You,” they added. “Now, we have a chance to FIGHT.”

Meanwhile, Choco Mucho hopes to settle down after a scrambling debut against PLDT Home Fibr late Wednesday as it tangles with a struggling Sta. Lucis side even as Petro Gazz faces a resurgent Cignal HD side in another fiery twin bill capping the first stretch of the five-week bubble tournament held under strict health and safety measures.

Games are telecast live on One Sports (Free to Air), and One Sports+ (Pay TV) with both channels available for linear streaming on Cignal Play and on gigafest.smart with replays on www.pvl.ph.

The Flying Titans, boasting of a tall roster and a bunch of young guns out to prove their worth in the milestone staging of the league, did topple the PLDT Power Hitters but needed to go through some anxious moments before squeaking out a 28-26, 10-25, 27-25, 25-11 victory.

Bea de Leon and Ka Tolentino, who with skipper Maddie Madayag form the league’s triple towers, each fired 18 hits although the team still lost by one attack point to the Power Hitters, 49-50.

But they banked on their composure and guts in the two extended sets then finally imposed their will in the fourth to put their campaign on the right track.

They, however, would need to play tougher and smarter against the Lady Realtors itching to rebound from a four-set defeat to the Cignal HD Spikers last Wednesday.

Cignal HD, meanwhile, tries to sustain its 25-22, 25-18, 13-25, 25-20 victory over Sta. Lucia as it clashes with a Petro Gazz side seeking to bounce back from a four-set loss to Creamline last Tuesday.