Out of Final 4 running, Pocari makes exit on saddle of victory

It wasn’t much of a conference for a noted league power. But Pocari Sweat made sure it would go out with a bang.

The Lady Warriors closed out their Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Open Conference campaign with a 25-18, 25-20, 25-23 victory over Adamson-Akari at Batangas City Coliseum Wednesday.

Pocari Sweat logged its second straight victory, but that mini run merely boosted its card to a relatively disappointing 7-7 slate, which wasn’t enough for the Lady Warriors to saved themselves from missing the Final Four for the first time in club history.

Ironically, it was a string of five-set losses that did Myla Pablo in and the Lady Warriors, who were supposed to be one of the more veteran, steel-nerved teams in the league. And now, Pocari looks to an offseason of rebuilding its program.

Pocari had a chance to forge a playoff for the last semifinal berth but PetroGazz squeezed off a pair of gritty victories that put the Angels beyond the reach of the Lady Warriors.

Creamline, which was battling PetroGazz at press time hoping to beef up its bid for the No. 1 spot, leads the semifinalists. The others in the Final Four are BanKo-Perlas, Motolite-Ateneo and PetroGazz.

Pablo fired 16 points while May Ann Pantino added 10 for Pocari.