Maynilad forges crucial Shakey’s V-League win
MANILA—Maynilad pulled off a stunning 26-24, 25-18, 18-25, 25-18 victory over Philippine Army to stay in the fight for the last semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 8 Open Conference at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
With their backs against the wall, the Water Dragons rose to the challenge as they drew stellar performances from Joy Cases and Syvie Artates in spoiling the Lady Troopers’ bid for a quarterfinal sweep that would have given Army the top seed in the final four.
Maynilad’s first victory in the quarterfinal stage also gave them a glimmer of hope of crashing the semifinals in their first tournament in the league.
The Water Dragons still need to beat powerhouse San Sebastian on Tuesday to stay in the hunt for at least a playoff for a final four slot.
Philippine Navy also boosted its semifinal hopes with a 25-22, 25-17, 25-18 drubbing of Philippine Air Force in the second game.
Nene Bautista summoned her old fiery form to finish with 20 points, while Suzanne Roces chipped in 10 for the Lady Sailors, who wrapped up their quarterfinal campaign with a 2-3 mark.
The Lady Sailors’ entry to the next round, though, will still hinge on the results of Tuesday’s matches.
Navy got 24 points off errors, allowing them to compensate for their anemic blocking. The Lady Sailors managed just three points off blocks without their defensive specialist Michelle Laborte, who is still sidelined by an ankle injury.
Cases fired 21 points and Artates had 20 hits as the Water Dragons peppered the surprisingly lethargic Lady Troopers with 57 attack points, 20 more than Army’s total.
While Cases led the attack, Artates, the former Lyceum standout, patrolled the net, coming away with eight points off blocks.
The Water Dragons survived despite yielding 34 points because of errors. They held Army top scorer Michelle Carolino to just eight points, while Rachel Anne Daquis also had difficulty getting through the Maynilad defense, ending up with just three points in two sets.
