Ateneo-Motolite showed maturity and poise in a nerve-wracking decider to pull off a 21-25, 23-25, 25-17, 27-25, 21-19 victory over BanKo-Perlas to snatch the other finals berth in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Open Conference at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan on Sunday night.
The Lady Eagles squandered an 11-6 bulge in the fifth set and looked to have crumbled in the face of the Perlas Spikers’ stirring 8-0 counterattack. But they regrouped and saved three match points, proving steadier in a frenetic ending that sent them to the finals against a powerhouse Creamline squad led by former Ateneo stars Alyssa Valdez and Jia Morado.
Game 1 of the best-of-three finals is set Wednesday with BanKo-Perlas relegated to the battle for third with PetroGazz in the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.
Meanwhile, the Final Four of the Spikers’ Turf starts Monday as top seed Sta. Elena faces No. 4 Cignal and No. 2 PLDT collides with No. 3 Air Force at Blue Eagle gym in Quezon City.