By: Ohmer Bautista
Facing the brink of elimination, the PayMaya High Flyers displayed grit and composure, withstanding the late surge of BanKo Perlas Lady Spikers, 28-26, 25-16, 25-27, 25-27, 15-12, in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference Semifinals at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
The High Flyers got off to an error-marred start, 6-10, but bucked their opening woes, rallying back to snag the opener.
PayMaya then further turned the tides to their favor, exploiting BanKo Perlas’ sloppy reception to buoy the High Flyers’ steady ship to a 24-11 cruise in the second set.
By the third and fourth set, however, Jutarat Montripila zeroed in, pouring 19 points within that stretch, to forge a decider.
In the decisive set, PayMaya played with renewed vigor, planting a 9-5 headstart. BanKo Perlas, however, mustered a 5-2 spurt behind the onslaught of Kia Bright, who dialed in three straight kills and a dump, to tie things up, 10-all.
With their season on the line, PayMaya head coach Roger Gorayeb reminded his locals, particularly Gretchen Soltones, to take the reins.
“Tayong mga local, gawin na natin yung trabaho natin, wag na natin i-asa sa mga imports,” the tactician reminded.
And they exactly did just that.
After forcing an error on Bright, Soltones locked in, scoring three of the last five points for PayMaya, capped by a down-the-line hit that bounced off a BanKo Perlas player, sealing the game for good.
Despite a great start, coach Gorayeb rued about his team being hesitant during crucial stretches.
“Maganda ang first two sets namin, yung next two talagang breaks of the game eh. Nagpigil ng palo ang import ko noong fourth set, naging tentative, nag-aalangan. Sabi ko sa kanya, hit it as hard as you can, don’t worry about the block,” he confessed.
Still, he expressed his happiness after gutting out a win and keeping their season alive.
“Masaya ako sa performance ng mga bata, lalo na sa mga locals. Happy ako basta nanalo kami,” he beamed.
Tess Rountree exploded for 34 points, built on 27 spikes, 2 blocks, and five aces. Soltones added 22 markers for PayMaya.
Meanwhile, import Bright’s 35 big points went down the drain. While fellow-import Montripila finished with 23 points.
The win-or-go-home slugfest, that will determine who advances to the finale, will take place on Friday, July 6.
The Scores:
PayMaya (3) – Rountree 34, Soltones 22, Sullivan 14, Domingo 8, Malabanan 8, Nabor 1, Sta. Rita 0, Eroa (L), Pantone (L).
BanKo (2) – Bright 35, Montripila 23, Dacoron 9, Ahomiro 5, Emnas 2, Roces 2, Ferrer 1, Tiamzon 1, Devanadera 0, Gervacio 0, Villanueva 0, Tan (L), De Jesus (L).
