The Emilio Aguinaldo College Lady Generals lost a 2-0 advantage, but recovered in time to ultimately defeat the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates in five, 25-14, 25-21, 23-25, 17-25, 15-11, Wednesday afternoon at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
It was a team effort for the Lady Generals, as five spikers registered twin-digit outputs, paced by usual top scorer Ladeisheen Magbanua at 16 markers off 12 attacks and two each of blocks and aces.
Outside spikers Aura Binondo and Jayme Lumbo both produced 13 markers, as middle hitters Yvette Tongco and Crislie Pablo each had 10.
For head coach Rod Palmero, their five-set win was a huge learning experience for the next seasons for the Lady Generals.
The champion mentor said, “Sa ‘kin naman, nakita ko ‘yung improvement. Nakuha namin ‘yung second win. So, sana madala namin ‘to sa susunod na season.”
Even losing that 2-0 cushion had its impact, as Palmero emphasized that the team is still adjusting to his system. “Hindi nawawala sa kanila ‘yung biglaang bumababa [ang laro]. Makakatulong sa kanila sa mga susunod.”
Bien Juanillo’s season-high at 20 points was for naught, as the Pirates suffered their sixth loss.
EAC (2-6) will try to spoil the San Beda College’s (7-1) bid for the twice-to-beat incentive when they face them on Friday. On the other hand, LPU (1-7) also have their hand on the fate of the Jose Rizal University (4-3) in the tussle next Tuesday.
The Scores:
EAC 3 – Magbanua 16, Binondo 13, Lumbo 13, Tongco 10, Pablo 10, Tasis 5, Reyes 1, Chan 0, Medina L.
LPU 2 – Juanillo 20, Miralles 18, Sevilla 11, Bongabong 3, Patio 2, Genova 2, Marcella L, Romanban L.
