It was only fitting for the rain to begin pouring just as the Army Lady Troopers settled in and took the Summer out of the Baguio Spikers in straight sets 25-7, 25-17, 25-10 in the first round of eliminations in the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference at the San Juan Arena.
The game had to be postponed for around 20 minutes due to a power outage caused by the heavy rains. But that didn’t stop Army from dismantling the hapless Baguio squad, as the Lady Troopers dropped 45 attacks and 13 service aces. Army’s efficient play allowed only 13 errors as Baguio’s offense only managed to produce 21 points, not even enough to win a set.
Army head coach Rico De Guzman even considered the match as tune-up for his team. “Nakita naman natin ‘yung laro ng Baguio. So ginamit ko ‘yung game mostly para masanay ‘yung mga players ko kila Dindin [Manabat]. Individually, malakas na ‘yung team sa opensa. Sa tingin ko nagkukulang pa kami sa floor defense,” De Guzman admitted after the game.
Not even one day removed from her dominating final elimination match in the PSL, Dindin Santiago-Manabat dropped 12 of her 13 points in the opening set, notching the match’s highest point total. Former NCAA MVP, Royse Tubino dropped 10 points in just two sets of action. It’s worth noting that everyone on Army’s roster scored a point bar the Liberos.
Baguio will next face Fourbees-Perpetual on April 23 while Army has the Coast Guard Dolphins on April 30.
The Scores:
Army (3) – Manabat 13, Tubino 10, Gonzaga 6, Sabas 4, Bunag 4, Balse 4, Aganon 4, Carolino 4, Salak 3, Bautista 2, Gonzales 1, Agno (L), Siatan-Torres (L)
Baguio (0) – Benitez 8, Madulid F. 5, Tsuchiya 4, Daniel 1, Torres 1, Ocado 1, Madulid R. 1, Tolentino 0, Agudia 0, Abella (L)
