Cocolife bucked a lethargic start before overcoming the gallant stand of University of the East (UE)-Cherrylume, 22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 25-18, in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Despite missing ace libero Denden Lazaro due to a family vacation, the Asset Managers managed to weather the hard-fighting Iron Lady Warriors to gain their first win in Pool B of this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, UCPB Gen, and SOGO Hotel with ESPN5, Hyper HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners.
After finding themselves down in the fourth set, Juliet Catindig came through with some big hits to help the Iron Lady Warriors turn a 12-19 deficit into 16-20.
But three straight errors doomed UE-Cherrylume’s chances, allowing Cocolife to inch closer to set point, 23-16, en route to the victory in this tourney that also has Senoh, Mueller, Grand Sport, Asics and Mikasa as technical sponsors.
Former De La Salle University standout Gyra Barroga proved her worth right in her first semi-pro game as she led Cocolife with 17 points on 12 attacks, four blocks, and an ace.
Alex Tan chipped in 15 hits, while Justine Tiu added nine markers, including 18 digs and eight receptions.
“There were mistakes that were not good for my team because the players relaxed a little,” Cocolife head coach Moro Branislav said. “I understand that we are still calculating since it was our first game with my new player but it was an important big win in the new life of Cocolife.”