The Bali Pure Purest Water Defenders displayed might against their younger counterparts University of the Philippines Lady Maroons with a dominant three-set win, 25-13, 25-23, 25-17, to post their third victory in a row in the 13th Shakey’s V-League Reinforced Conference on Saturday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Katherine Morrell had a monster game in tonight’s victory, leading all scorers with 24 points off 19 attacks. Amy Ahomiro had nine markers. Setter Kaylee Manns had 34 perfect tosses.
With the foreign duo of Manns and Morrell doing wonders on offense, Bali Pure got off to a fiery start in the curtain-raising frame, even posting the match’s first double-digit lead at 19-9. The Lady Maroons, despite Diana Carlos’ consecutive attacks, could not keep up with Bali Pure due to their slow reaction on defense, making it easy for the Water Defenders to take a 1-0 set lead with a 12-point gap, 25-13.
Bali Pure bucked a slow start in the next frame, overcoming an 8-5 deficit to take the lead, 17-13, midway. UP came back strong through kills by Marian Buitre and Nicole Tiamzon, chipping away the Water Defenders’ lead to force a tie at 21-all. But the Lady Maroons failed to sustain rhythm, as Dzi Gervacio and Morrell delivered the final blows through cross court hits to send Bali Pure to a 2-0 advantage, 25-23.
Similar to the previous set, Bali Pure’s pace went slow once more, but they were able to regain their touch by flipping an 8-7 deficit in their favor, 16-13, after the second timeout. From there, UP lost their ground on defense, suffering from the lethal one-two punch of Morrell and Gervacio and the duo’s attacks off blocks. They bowed out of the match, 25-17.
“We’re very happy with the win, but we can’t be complacent,” said Bali Pure team captain Charo Soriano moments after the match. “We can’t be lax because our main goal is to improve in each and every game.”
“We’re just very happy that everyone became consistent,” she added.
Carlos’ nine points made her UP’s leading scorer in the loss, which sends the Lady Maroons to a 2-4 slate.
Bali Pure’s (3-1) next match will be on Wednesday, October 26, against Laoag Power Smashers. UP (2-4), on the other hand, will face Air Force Lady Jet Spikers this Monday, October 24. Both matches are set at 6 in the evening.
The Scores:
Bali Pure (3) – Morrell 24, Ahomiro 9, Roces 7, Manns 7, Gervacio 5, Tajima 3, Soriano 2, De Jesus 0, Lazaro L.
UP (0) – Carlos 9, Tiamzon 6, Bersola 5, Molde 5, Buitre 4, Dorog 0, Cailing 0, Gaiser L, Estranero L.
