PVL: Tacloban guts out five-set win over PetroGazz

Tacloban averted disaster and thwarted Petro Gazz, 25-17, 27-25, 21-25, 14-25, 15-13, to take its first win in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Centre.

The Fighting Warays stopped Anastasiia Trach’s late-game onslaught to take a 1-0 record while the newcomer Angels, who missed Kadi Kullerkann due to a sore left knee, dropped to 0-2.

Petro Gazz’ final stand was a 13-13 tie after Trach’s two straight points before Shola Alvarez proved to be crucial in Tacloban’s clutch surge.

Alvarez scored an off-the-block kill that bounced off Wensh Tiu for Tacloban’s 14-13 lead then she teamed up with Hyapha Amporn to block Trach for the match’s final point.

Tacloban head coach Nes Pamilar blamed his team’s lackadaisical effort in the third and fourth sets for allowing the Angels to storm back and force a decider.

“They got too relaxed,” said Pamilar in Filipino. “When they saw that the other team only had one import they were already joking with each other.”

“When they lost the third and fourth sets I got angry with them so when the fifth set came they managed to play better.”

Amporn put up 23 points to lead the Fighting Warays while Jovielyn Prado added 18.

Trach had 27 points for the Angels while captain Steph Mercado added 20.