Power Smashers force decider for PVL Finals berth

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The Power Smashers did what they couldn’t pull off three days ago.

Banking on their Thai imports, the Power Smashers completed their comeback from two sets down to beat Pocari Sweat 24-26, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 15-13, Tuesday and drag their Premier Volleyball League semifinals series to a deciding Game 3.

“We just showed what we’ve been working on during our practices,” said head coach Nes Pamilar, whose squad also rallied from a 0-2 set deficit in Game 1 only to fall short in the fifth set.

Kannika Thipachot fired 28 points, including the game-clinching drop that paved the way for a do-or-die on Thursday with a finals berth at stake.

Thipachot also got ample help from her compatriot Hyapa Amport and Jovelyn Prado, who added 18 and 17 points, respectively.

The Lady Warriors were primed for a third straight finals appearance when they took a 2-0 set lead.

But just like in the semis opener, Pocari unraveled and couldn’t avert a major meltdown this time despite drawing big numbers from towering reinforcement Michelle Strizak and heavy hitter Myla Pablo.

Strizak unleashed a game-high 33 points while Pablo tallied 20 points.

Pablo, the former National U spiker, hit back-to-back spikes to tie the fifth set at 6.

The Lady Warriors, however, played sloppy with 33 errors.