After a string of misfortunes, the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors bounced back with a pair of crucial victories to hammer out a strong finish in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix.
And one player should be credited for this resurgence – Bohdana Anisova.
With Anisova spewing fire at the attack zone, the Lady Realtors were unstoppable, as they pulled off thrilling victories over the Cocolife Asset Managers and Generika-Ayala Lifesavers to avoid an eighth-place finish.
A well-known competitor in the European circuit, the Ukrainian torched the Asset Managers for 29 kills, four aces, and two blocks for a game-high 35 points as the Lady Realtors essayed a masterful 23-25, 22-25, 25-12, 25-23, 15-7 victory.
She then picked up where she left off two days later, when she knocked down 23 kills for a 25-point effort to lead the Lady Realtors to a 25-27, 25-18, 25-17, 26-24 win over the Lifesavers in their final match of the eliminations.
Her impressive performances were enough for the PSL Press Corps to name her as its third Chooks to Go-Player of the Week.
She edged Foton’s electrifying import Sara Klisura and Cignal’s middle blocker Alexis Matthews for the weekly honor given by the group of sportswriters and photographers from various broadsheets, tabloids, and online publications covering the league.
Sta. Lucia head coach Jerry Yee admitted that Anisova was the engine that kept them running in their back-to-back victories.
“We’re glad that Bodhana stepped up big time,” said Yee, whose wards booked a quarterfinal duel with Foton after finishing the eliminations at sixth place, with a 3-5 win-loss card. “Right now, our morale is high because of our strong finish. But we can’t celebrate yet. It’s still a long way to go.
“We just have to continue working hard and hope for the best.”
Yee added that while Anisova will play a very crucial role in their sudden-death encounter with the Tornadoes, everybody still has to step up for them to pull off an earth-shaking upset.
“Winning in the quarterfinals must be a collective effort from everybody. We just have to prepare hard and hope for the best.”
