A WELL-OILED more fluid RC Cola-Army squad showed up, reducing erstwhile unbeaten Petron to a pulp with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-11 victory in the 2016 Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan.
The Lady Troopers fought tooth and nail in the first two sets before taking advantage of the Tri-Activ Spikers’ numerous errors and erratic reception in the third set to rip the game wide open en route to an easy win in this tourney bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Senoh with TV5 as official broadcaster.
It was RC Cola-Army’s fourth straight win, giving it a share of the lead with idle F2 Logistics. On the other hand, Petron suffered its first setback after roaring to a 3-0 start.
Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachel Anne Daquis, the first two members of the PSL All-Star team that will see action in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship in Manila this October, were the stars of the show as they punched holes on the defensive blanket of the reigning champions all throughout the 75-minute battle.
Gonzaga had 13 kills and a pair of blocks to finish with 15 points, while Daquis had 10 markers for the Lady Troopers, who are looking for another crown after clobbering the Thailand juniors’ team last April to clinch the Invitational Conference title.
“We’re not good; we’re just lucky. It just so happened that we were at the right place and at the right time,” said RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Reyes, giving credit to the gallant stand Petron displayed in the first two sets before completely unraveling in the third set.
“It was a tight ballgame in the first two sets. But we showed great teamwork in the third set while they succumbed to errors and bad reception. They are such a talented team. Unfortunately, all of them had a bad game in the fourth set.”
Reyes added that they are now peaking and their match with fellow leader, F2 Logistics, will put them into a serious test.
“We’re so looking forward to it,” he said, referring to their July 23 showdown with the Cargo Movers. “They are young, they are explosive and they are very talented. That game will gauge whether we’re ready to win another title.”
Against Petron, RC Cola-Army was very solid.
In fact, the only time that the Tri-Activ Spikers put up a threat was in the crucial stretch of the second set when Ces Molina scored on a beautiful combination play to put Petron closer, 22-23. But the Tri-Activ Spikers suffered a net violation, while Tina Salak scored on a drop shot to seal the second set victory, 25-23.
It was the last stand of Petron was RC Cola-Army opened the final set with a 12-2 lead and never looked back.
“We know that they are capable of going back into the game any moment,” Reyes said. “Petron is such a strong team. It’s character will surely change next game.”
Remy Palma had nine points to carry the fight for Petron, which failed to draw impressive numbers from seasoned opposite hitter Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.
Maizo Pontillas finished the night with only two points, no thanks to the airtight defense employed by Joanne Bunag. Honey Royse Tubino, Daquis and Gonzaga.
Games Saturday
2 p.m. – Amyís vs Petron
4 p.m. – Foton vs RC Cola-Army
6 p.m. – Cignal vs Generika