STA. ROSA, LAGUNA — George Pascua did not let a questionable call in the third set get in the way of PLDT’s opening day triumph against UAI-Army in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference.
After surrendering seven straight points – which turned a 21-16 lead into a 21-23 disadvantage in the third set – the High Speed Hitters managed to redeem themselves. Mika Reyes, Fiola Ceballos, and Rhea Dimaculangan scored three consecutive points, which put them at set point.
Russian import Elena Savkina-Samoilenko tried to put the exclamation point with a powerful hit from the back. However, her attack was ruled out, which allowed Royse Tubino to finish off what they started and steal the set from right under PLDT’s nose.
The call definitely left the High Speed Hitters in disbelief since they felt that the ball had brushed off on Ging Balse’s hands.
Nevertheless, Pascua said that it was a judgment call from the officials, which is why he immediately urged his wards to forget about it and focus on the task at hand.
“Sabi ko judgement call yun. Hindi yun pwede [i-contest]. Basta ang importante ang goal namin na manalo doon dapat kami. ‘Wag kami mag-concentrate sa errors o decision ng referee basta importante ‘yung laro namin mailaro namin,” said Pascua.
In the end, it was Samoilenko who stood the tallest as she led PLDT to a five-set victory against the Troopers, 17-25, 25-20, 24-26, 25-11, 15-11, at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex here.
Pascua said that he instructed the 27-year-old Russian outside hitter to ask for the ball, especially in crucial moments.
And that’s exactly what she did in the fifth frame, scoring eight of the team’s 15 points to finish with a game-high 32 points on 32 attacks, two kill blocks, and one service ace in her very first PVL game.
“Sabi ko sa kanya just play your game at lagi niya hihingin yung bola expect lalo kapag crucial match. Instruction ko rin kay Rhea, sabi ko sa kanya kailangan ma-maximize namin siya,” Pascua shared.
Pascua hopes that Samoilenko can sustain her fine start when they take on back-to-back champions Creamline on Tuesday, 2:30 PM at the PhilSports Arena.
“We are excited na makalaban namin ang Creamline kasi defending champion sila. Sa amin opportunity ‘yun para makalaban sila. Pero syempre ang goal pa rin namin one at a time lang para manalo,” said the Adamson coach.
“Being import hindi ganun kadali pero na-achieve niya hopefully by next game namin ma-achieve pa rin niya yun.”
