It did not take long for the PacificTown–Army to rebound from an uncharacteristic three-set loss to Air Force last Saturday. The Lady Troopers subdued the Chef’s Classics Lady Red Spikers, 25-11, 25-23, 25-17, in the 2019 PVL Open Conference, Wednesday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
“Kailangan naming makabawi doon sa nangyari sa Air Force,” said Army assitant coach Rico De Guzman as he called the shots in lieu of head tactician Kungfu Reyes, who is with the national team for the Southeast Asian Grand Prix in Nakhon Ratchasima along with Jovelyn Gonzaga.
“Like depensa, yun ang pinakaginagawa namin ngayon sa training. Doon ko sila dini-develop na maging positive, may leadership at teamwork doon sa loob ng court. Nandiyan naman ang skills nila,” he added.
Jem Gutierrez, Honey Royse Tubino, and Ging Balse-Pabayo made sure that the Lady Troopers wouldn’t feel the absence of Gonzaga. The troika carried the scoring cudgels all the while anchoring on net defense to power PacificTown–Army’s rout of Chef’s Classics.
Gutierrez and Tubino poured in a game-high 15 points apiece. The former collected 11 attacks, three kill blocks, and a service ace, while the latter hammered down 13 spikes.
Balse-Pabayo supplied 10 markers, a pair of which coming from the blocking department. She also delivered the crucial blow in a nip-and-tuck second set when the Lady Red Spikers threatened to force a deuce at 24-23.
PacificTown–Army setter Alina Bicar tossed 12 excellent sets. Defensive specialist Angela Nunag finished with 15 excellent receptions and seven excellent digs.
The Lady Troopers rose to 5-4 to stay seated in the middle of the standings. Meanwhile, the Chef’s Classics remained winless in nine matches.
Nieza Viray was the lone Lady Red Spiker in double figures. She rained down all of her 15 points from the attacking department.
PacificTown–Army looks to carry over momentum when it faces Bali Pure while Chef’s Classics tries to crack into the win column against Choco Mucho. Both matches will be played on Saturday at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.
