Bacoor pulled off a 20-25, 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 15-3 victory over Biñan Tatak Gel, keeping them within striking distance of the league leaders in Round 2 of the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) Season 1 on Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Four players reached double figures, led by Cyrille Joie Alemaniana’s 21 points, as the Strikers dominated the Volley Angels in the deciding set with a 12-point gap to secure the hard-fought win.
Alemaniana received ample support from Winnie Bedania, Jemalyn Menor, and Shaila Allaine Omipon, who chipped in 15, 11, and 10 points, respectively.
Bacoor solidified its hold on the third spot with an 8-2 record in the nine-team league, which was founded by MPBL chairman and aspiring senator Manny Pacquiao.
Last week, Bacoor fell to the previously unbeaten and pace-setting Quezon (10-1) but quickly bounced back with a sweep of the second-ranked Rizal (9-3).
Despite a sluggish start, Bacoor could not be stopped, closing the match with a 15-3 run to reassert their dominance over Biñan.
This followed a 3-0 win in the first round of the MPVA, which is backed by Extreme One-Stop Shop Appliances, ASICS, Mikasa, and Gerflor, with MPTV and Outcomm as broadcast partners.
Bacoor was the champion of the first, shorter edition of the MPVA before the upstart volleyball league transitioned to its first full home-and-away season this year.
It also features an expansion to nine teams, led by the impressive newcomer Quezon.
Quezon, after an unbeaten start in its first nine games, suffered its first loss last week against Biñan. However, Biñan was unable to maintain that momentum against Bacoor despite a strong start.
May Ann Nuique and Erika Jin Deloria led the way for the Volley Angels with 16 points each, but the team slid to 6-5, placing fourth in the MPVA, which is organized by the Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.
