After a slow start, the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors denied the Cocolife Asset Managers in four sets, 23-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-17, Tuesday evening at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The Lady Realtors improve to a 2-3 win-loss slate, while Cocolife now have a 1-4 record in Pool D.
“It’s great, they played well. I told my players, they win by enjoying the game, no pressure at all, no stress,” Sta. Lucia head coach Sammy Acaylar said. “It’s great we won and this developed another confidence for my team.”
Danika Gendrauli led the Lady Realtors with 17 points, coming from 11 attacks, three blocks, and three service aces. MJ Phillips chipped in 13 points.
The first set was a close match between the two teams, as Cocolife escaped with a two point lead, 23-25.
In the fourth set, Cocolife were about to force a fifth set after chopping Sta. Lucia’s lead from 11 to two, 14-16, but the Lady Realtors smashed Cocolife’s glimmer of hope.
“I told them, second set and third set should be combined. We had a good game for our second set, and third set. Sabi ko, i-combine namin yun. Nung nahabol kami, I got a time out, sabi ko, focus muna, don’t check the score, focus on the game and one step at a time,” Acaylar shared.
Post-timeout, MJ Phillips did not allow the Asset Managers to come any closer. Phillips continued hitting her spikes as Cocolife struggled with their reception and floor defense. Sta. Lucia’s defense allowed the Cocolife to reach only 17 points in all of the last three sets. They finished the set and the match, 25-17.
Cocolife’s Wensh Tiu powered 12 points, while Tine Francisco contributed nine.
Sta. Lucia will face F2 Logistics next on Saturday, June 24, at the Batangas Convention Center. Cocolife, on the other hand, will face Cherrylume on Tuesday, June 27, at the Baliwag Star Arena in Bulacan. – BY: Danine Cruz
The Scores:
Sta. Lucia (3) – Gendrauli 17, Phillips 13, Cheng 9, Navarro 7, Sante 7, Salamagos 6, Clemente 4, Sabete 3, Musa 2, Rivera 2, Lastimosa 1, Raslan 0, Enclona (L), Rivera (L).
Cocolife (1) – Tiu 12, Francisco 9, Gumabao 8, Bunag 5, Dizon 5, Tejada 2, Villareal 1, Esperanza 0, Sandoval 0, Cayuna 0, Alkuino 0, Palec 0, Lazaro (L), Dusaran (L).
