The Philippine Army Lady Troopers had no trouble handling the Coast Guard Lady Dolphins, sweeping them in straight sets, 25-8, 25-13, 25-12, Thursday afternoon, at the San Juan Arena.
The first set was a demolition job by the Lady Troopers. Led by Jovelyn Gonzaga, who scored five of her team high eight points in the set, and Nerissa Bautista, who chipped in four of her seven points, the Lady troopers steam-rolled the Lady Dolphins, outscoring them 3 to 1 in the set. The Lady Dolphins’ offense was so off, that four of the team’s eight points were via Army errors.
While the first set was a forgettable experience for Coast Guard, they at least put up a better fight during the second set. The Lady Troopers went up 4-1 early on, but back-to-back points for Coast Guard brought them to within a single point. Army attempted to put some distance between the two teams, scoring off a Manabat back row attack, and a Rossan Fajardo attack error. Coast Guard attempted to trim the lead once more, scoring with a Cristel Rosale quick attack, and Army’s Cristina Salak getting caught lifting the ball. But Coast Guard found trouble scoring after that, as the Lady Troopers went on an 11-2 run to close out the set.
The final set was just as bad as the first set offensively for the Lady Dolphins, and if it wasn’t for the Lady Troopers’ lackadaisical play in the set, Army might have won by a much larger margin. Once again, half of Coast Guard’s points came off of Army errors. Despite the unfocused play of the Lady Troopers, they were able to easily outscore the Lady Dolphins throughout the set. After a Kath Magsumbol point that put Coast Guard within 3, 5-2, Army went on an 11-5 run that put them ahead by double-digits, 17-7. The Lady Troopers never surrendered their double-digit lead from then on, as they easily took the set.
Army blasted Coast Guard in all categories, netting more points in spikes, 38-20, blocks, 6-1, and serves, 7-0. They were also impeccable in non-scoring skills as they had more excellent digs, 28-9, and sets, 26-12.
Army’s next opponent will be Cagayan on Sunday, May 10, while Coast Guard will go against Meralco on the last day of the elimination round on Tuesday, May 12.
The Scores:
Army (3) – Gonzaga 8, Manabat 7, Bautista 7, Aganon 7, Balse 6, Tubino 5, Daquis 4, Salak 3, Carolino 2, Bunag 1, Gonzales 1, Torres (L)
Coast Guard (0) – Fajardo 8, Macabuhay 4, Magsumbol 3, Rosale 3, Montero 2, Espelita 1, Acepcion (L)
