It’s no longer a surprise who turned up when Pocari Sweat needed a win.
Just a set away from elimination, the Lady Warriors banked on Pablo in crucial stretches to rally past Air Force, 25-22, 16-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12, and forge a do-or-die semifinal match in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.
“We just kept the faith and showed teamwork,” said Pablo after the Lady Warriors kept their bid for a fourth straight championship alive on Sunday.
Pablo finished with 22 points built on 20 attacks and two blocks in a stellar performance that earned her the Philips Gold-PVL Press Corps Player of the Week honors.
The veteran open spiker bested BaliPure’s Aiko Urdas and Creamline’s Rosemarie Vargas for the weekly citation.
In Pocari’s Game 1 loss to Air Force, 25-20, 25-19,25-20, the day before, Pablo still paced her squad with 13 points and seven digs.
Pocari and Air Force will battle for a title slot at 4 p.m. this Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Creamline and BaliPure, also tied at 1-1, collide in the other best-of-three Final Four series at 6:30 p.m.
After the elimination round, Pablo emerged as one of the leading contenders for the Most Valuable Player award.
The former National University stalwart led the scoring race with 143 points built on 128 spikes, 11 blocks and four service aces.
Pablo also ranked second in the spiking department with a 39.75 percent success rating and wound up No. 9 in blocking with 0.42 average per set.
Last year, Pablo inked a P4.6 million five-year deal with Pocari. And she has consistently proven that she’s all worth it.
Meanwhile, Game 1 of the men’s finals between Cignal TV and Mega Builders is also slated this Wednesday at 1 p.m.
The top two teams forged the duel after sweeping Sta. Elena and Philippine Air Force, respectively, in the Final Four. —JASMINE W. PAYO