The RC Cola-Army Lady Troopers snapped out of their three-game funk and kept the Generika Lifesavers still grasping for their first win of the season with a 25-20, 24-26, 25-20, 26-24 victory in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Both squads took turns snatching tightly-contested sets, with Generika primed to force a fifth set after taking a 16-10 lead in the fourth set. But the Lady Troopers fought their way back, trimming the deficit down to one, 18-19. The match then turned on a check call on Kierra Holst’s serve. The Generika players objected to the call fiercely, prompting the first referee to slap Ria Meneses with a red card for misconduct.
Generika head coach Francis Vicente then got in on the action, furiously complaining until he was hit with a yellow and red card. The subsequent three-point spurt was enough to push Army ahead and they took the win.
“Pumabor sa amin pero that’s unfortunate for Generika kasi ilang points din ‘yun and it was a close game. Malulungkot ka ‘rin para sa players,” said Army head coach Kungfu Reyes. “We’re happy na nakuha na namin ulet ‘yung will namin manalo. The past few games sobrang nahirapan kami. Our locals were also commendable.”
Holst finished with 21 points, while Jovelyn Gonzaga added 17 markers, 13 digs, and nine receptions.
Generika import Polina Liutikova fired 18 points, while Shaya Adorador managed 15.
Army (2-3) take on Cignal (1-3), while Geneika continue to search for their first win against Petron (5-1) on Saturday.
The Scores
RC Cola-Army (3) – Holst 21, Gonzaga 17, Tubino 12, Ripley 7, Salak 7, Daquis 4, Malaluan 1, Bautista 0, Gonzales 0, Agno (L)
Generika (1) – Liutikova 18, Adorador 15, Ramdin 13, Menseses 7, Tiu 7, Legaion 5, Cortez 1, Baliton 0, De Leon 0, Arado (L)
