Sta. Lucia escapes Generika-Ayala in Cavite thriller

Coming off an opening day loss at the hands of the Foton Tornadoes, the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors were able to survive a roller-coaster of a contest against the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers, 21-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-15, 15-7, Tuesday evening at the Strike Gym in Bacoor, Cavite.

The Lady Realtors are now 1-1 in the standings while dropping the Lifesavers to a 0-2 hole.

“Satisfied naman pero may mga lapses pa rin sa first and third sets, madaming unforced errors,” said George Pascua, who won his first game as the head coach of Sta. Lucia.

Ukranian reinforcement Bohdana Anisova erupted for 22 attacks and four aces to finish with 28 points while MJ Phillips chipped in 22 markers for the Lady Realtors.

Sta. Lucia raced to an 8-2 lead in the deciding set and never looked back. An ace and a kill by Anisova sent the Lady Realtors to match point, 14-6, before veteran setter Rubie de Leon finished the match with a drop.

“Hopefully itong pagkapanalo namin mas ‘yung eagerness nila na manalo ulit nandoon pa rin, ‘yung composure nila nandoon. ‘Yun ang ine-aim namin na mag-improve kami every game,” furthered Pascua.

Generika-Ayala’s American import Symone Hayden tallied 27 markers while Darlene Ramdin added 20 points.

Sta. Lucia takes on the Cocolife Asset Managers next on Thursday, March 1 at the Filoil Flying V Centre. Generika-Ayala, on the other hand, will next face the Petron Blaze Spikers on Tuesday, March 6 at the Malolos Convention Center.

The Scores:

Sta. Lucia 3 – Anisova 28, Phillips 22, Field 11, Laborte 5, Lastimosa 4, De Leon 4, Berte 2, Raslan 1, Sabete 0, Rivera 0, Moncks (L)

Generika-Ayala 2 – Hayden 27, Ramdin 20, Meneses 10, Araneta 9, Hingpit 3, Llagoso 1, Orendain 0, Ceballos 0, Cerveza 0, Gutierrez (L), Pineda (L)