PSL: Sta. Lucia overcomes Silva, Smart

Gy Silva of Smart vs Bohdana Anisova, Mic Laborte and Pam Lastimosa of Sta. Lucia Realty

Sta. Lucia overcame a dominating performance from Gyselle Silva to beat Smart, 25-15, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, in the 2018 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Tuesday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The Lady Realtors evened their record to 3-3 but not after surviving Silva’s 40 points.

“We tried our best to stop her in the first and second sets. But in the third and fourth sets, she’s simply unstoppable,” said Sta. Lucia coach George Pascua.

“I told the team that we should grab the lead at least before Silva rotates in front. I’m glad that we were able to do that and Dana (Anisova) connected a lucky ace for the win.”

It took a collective effort from Sta. Lucia to match Silva’s production with Canadian imports Bohdana Anisova and Marisa Field combining for 37 points while Filipino-American MJ Philips adding 15.

Silva, who had 37 kills, came just a point shy from tying the PSL scoring record owned by Sara Klisura, who set the mark last year.

The Lady Realtors rallied from 17-19 down in the fourth set with Anisova and Philips leading their fightback. Anisova scored the game-clinching ace to keep the Giga Hitters winless after six games.

“This victory is important because it serves as a morale-booster entering the second round,” Pascua said.