PHILIPPINE Army pulled off an unlikely victory yesterday to move within a win of another Shakey’s V-League championship.
Roaring back from a dismal first set, the Lady Troopers pinned on PLDT Home Ultera its first loss of the tournament with a 13-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-22 victory in Game 1 of the Season 12 Open Conference title series at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Lady Troopers turned their game around with Dindin Santiago-Manabat and Jovelyn Gonzaga leading the attack to spoil the Ultra Fast Hitters’ bid for a perfect season.
“Our experience—how to play in the championship—really showed in this game,” said coach Rico de Guzman after his Lady Troopers snapped the Ultra Fast Hitters’ 10-game streak.
Both teams fought toe-to-toe in the last three sets, but the Lady Troopers always came through behind Gonzaga and Santiago.
Gonzaga sealed the match with an emphatic hit to finish with 16 points, built on 13 attacks and three blocks.
Santiago-Manabat, who similarly unloaded 16 points, also had a key block that wrapped up the third frame, 27-25, where Army incredibly survived match point thrice to steal the third set from PLDT.
The Lady Troopers, who ruled last season’s edition, will shoot for a series sweep in Game 2 at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday at the same venue.
Earlier, Cagayan Valley turned back Meralco in straight sets, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23, to gain a 1-0 lead in their battle for third place.
The Ultra Fast Hitters again looked poised to extend their streak behind the fiery Alyssa Valdez after overpowering the Lady Troopers in the first set, 25-13.
“It’s really hard to go up against PLDT,” said De Guzman. “They’re very strong offensively.”
But after the horrific first set—where they scored just five points off attacks—the Lady Troopers regained their verve and came back with 17 kills in the next frame.
Valdez paced PLDT with 25 points.