The RC Cola-Army Lady Troopers dispatched the younger Cignal HD Spikers in straight sets, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20, in the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament, Saturday afternoon at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The win puts RC Cola in a three-way tie with Petron and F2 Logistics for the top spot.
“We competed and we enjoyed. ‘Yun ang nangyari kanina,” said RC Cola Head Coach Kungfu Reyes. “Pero naging mas agresibo rin [‘yung team] kasi mas bata ‘yung mga kalaban.”
Even though RC Cola held the lead for most of the first set, Cignal kept it close, only trailing by two after the second technical timeout, 14-16.
Three consecutive service aces by Rachel Anne Daquis, and angle attacks by team captain Jovelyn Gonzaga, highlighted a 9-3 run that helped widen the gap with and finish the opening set for the Lady Troopers, 25-17.
Daquis and Gonzaga led RC Cola in scoring with 8 and 13 respectively.
Cignal never held the lead in the second, already trailing by a sizable lead after a 7-0 RC Cola run to start the set. Passing errors also haunted the HD Spikers all throughout the game, as they committed most of them in the second.
The Lady Troopers took advantage of their opponent’s unforced errors and grabbed the second set, 25-17, capped by a cross court hit by Joanne Bunag.
The third set was the closest, with the two teams separated by a single point after the second technical timeout, 16-15, with RC Cola up. Then, the Lady Trooper veterans closed the game with a 9-5 run, capped off by off-the-block hits by Nene Bautista and a drop attack by Gonzaga, finishing the set at 25-20.
No HD Spiker reached double-digit scoring. Carmela Tunay had nine markers, all coming from attacks.
However, Coach Kungfu said he still wants to see his team close out games better.
“Mas nagwo-worry talaga ako dun sa nilalaro ng team namin e. Anytime naman pwede kaming sumabay. Ang worry namin, baka pagdating sa dulo, maubusan kami ng gasolina,” he closed.
Cignal will have two days to prepare before they go up against an undefeated Petron Tri-Activ squad on Tuesday, while the Lady Troopers will next face Standard Insurance on Thursday. Both games will be held at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Scores:
RC Cola (3) – Gonzaga 13, Daquis 8, Bautista 7, Bunag 6, De Leon 6, Tubino 4, Carolino 3, Nunag 1, Gonzales 1, Salak 0, Siatan-Torres (L), Agno (L)
Cignal (0) – Tunay 9, Panaga 5, Navarro 4, Musa 4, Laborte 3, Mandapat 2, Cheng 1, Vivas 1, Hingpit 0, Berte 0, Aguilar 0, Dionela (L), Cortel (L)
