Not allowing an upset, the PacificTown-Army Lady Troopers arrested their three-game losing skid at the expense of the Chef’s Classics Lady Red Spikers, 25-18, 25-18, 25-13, in the 2019 PVL Open Conference, Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
“‘Yun na nga, medyo… Siyempre na-relieve ng konti kasi yung three-game losing streak namin, very uncharacteristic nga,” admitted PacificTown-Army head coach Kungfu Reyes.
“Right after noong byahe namin ng malayo, [so] talagang nararamdaman ng mga player namin yung fatigue. Pero ano yun, loser’s alibi na lang yun. Ngayon almost a week na nakakalipas, nakaka-recover na kami ng konti,” continued Reyes, referring to the one-week league his team participated in Cagayan De Oro.
Behind their battle-tested core, the PacificTown-Army seized control right from the get-go. They mounted a 22-18 cushion in the first set, then erected a 24-18 gap in the ensuing frame for a commanding 2-0 set advantage.
Leading 24-10 in the third stanza, the Lady Troopers had to thwart a comeback from the Chef’s Classics. The Lady Red Spikers saved three match points before Dahlia Cruz nailed the final blow that pushed PacificTown-Army back on track.
Royse Tubino finished with a game-high 12 points, all but a point coming from attacks for the Lady Troopers. Jovelyn Gonzaga supplied 10 markers built on seven attacks, a pair of service aces and a kill blocks.
Ging Balse-Pabayo and Lut Malaluan were also instrumental in the sweep. The former tallied netted three of her team’s seven blocks for nine points while the latter chimed in eight markers.
Army playmaker Sarah Jane Gonzales tossed 15 excellent sets for the Lady Troopers, who hammered down 39 attacks.
The Lady Troopers evened their card to 3-3, as they remain perched in the middle of the pack. On the other hand, the Lady Red Spikers remained winless in six games.
Chef’s Classics skipper Justine Tiu had seven markers off of five attacks and two service aces to lead her team in scoring. Nieza Viray, who poured in a game-high 14 points in San Beda’s victory in the collegiate conference, managed six points.
PacificTown-Army will try to sustain momentum when they face the Bali Pure Purest Water Defenders on Wednesday, September 11. Meanwhile, Chef’s Classics have less than 24 hours rest before trying to barge into the win column against Air Force. Both matches will be played at the same venue.
