Following a heartbreaker to Motolite last Wednesday that put a bitter end to BanKo’s opening round, Nicole Tiamzon refused to let her team open their second round campaign on a sour note on Sunday.
Behind their hard-hitting skipper, the Perlas Spikers brushed aside a meltdown in the third frame. They subdued the Bali Pure Water Defenders in four sets, 25-16, 25-12, 16-25, 25-20, in the 2019 PVL Open Conference at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
“Thankful din na naka-bounce back kami after the five-set loss [sa Motolite]. But yun nga, marami pa kaming kailangan i-improve, especially on the third set. Dapat hindi talaga nagiging complacent kahit sinong team at sino pang kalaban mo,” said Tiamzon.
The former UP Lady Maroon detonated a game-high 22 points built on 21 attacks, as the Perlas Spikers rose to solo third spot with a 6-3 win-loss record.
Meanwhile, Dzi Gervacio dealt damage through her defense. She stifled the opposition with four kill blocks en route to 12 points on top of 12 excellent digs.
Ella De Jesus and Sue Roces chipped in nine markers apiece. The former netted 11 excellent receptions as she came to a point shy of a double-double outing. Kathy Bersola also fortified BanKo’s wall, as she collected three kill blocks for seven points. Meanwhile, Jem Ferrer generated the offense with 30 excellent sets.
On the other hand, the Water Defenders have fallen to the eighth-spot with a 2-7. Moreover, they have dropped all of their last four matches.
Bali Pure captain Graziella Bombita topped her team with 14 points built on 11 attacks and a pair of service aces.
The troika of Satrriani Espiritu, Menchie Tubiera, and Shirley Salamagos managed 13 markers each. Espiritu had five of her team’s nine blocks, while Salamagos netted three of her squad’s eight aces.
Tubiera flirted with a triple-double as she tallied 12 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.
BanKo will look to sustain their momentum when they square off against the Air Force Lady Jet Spikers on Sunday. Meanwhile, Bali Pure will try to get back on track against the surging Creamline Cool Smashers on Wednesday. Both matches will be played at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
