April Royce Hingpit and Darlene Ramdin of Generika-Ayala
Darlene Ramdin unloaded three of her 26 points late in the fifth set to power Generika-Ayala past Cignal HD, 26-24, 18-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-11, Thursday night in the Chooks To Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at FilOil Flying V Center.
The 28-year-old returning import helped the Lifesavers snatch the opening set and then rallied her teammates when they fell behind, two sets to one and 18-19 in the fourth, en route to their second win in seven outings.
Much of Generika’s struggles came from unforced errors (34) and Cignal’s unforgiving net defense that yielded 18 kill blocks.
“We really emphasized the need to win this game because we haven’t been playing well late,” said Ramdin, who in the middle of the fifth frame gave Cignal’s Sonja Milanovic a dose of her medicine, swatting her attempt for a 9-7 lead.
Milanovic scattered 31 points, including eight kill-blocks, for Cignal but her individual brilliance didn’t translate to success as the HD Spikers displayed utter lack of killer instinct.
Cignal was leading, 23-18, before lapsing into errors that allowed the Lifesavers to steal the first set.
“We remained calm and focused on the next point and not worry about errors,” said Ramdin.
Cignal, which also got 18 points from Jeanne Horton, made a final stand in the fifth at 11-all through Milanovic.
But Ramdin took matters in her own hands to secure the win and hand the HD Spikers their fourth defeat in seven games.