Generika-Ayala hung tough down the stretch to eke out a thrilling 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 26-24 win over PLDT Home Fibr on Tuesday and take their quarterfinal series in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix to the distance at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Import Kseniya Kocyigit delivered the crucial blows for the Lifesavers, who forged a sudden-death game for a chance to advance to the semifinals.
The prized Azerbaijani delivered the quick attack that forced a deuce before skipper Angeli Araneta nailed back-to-back aces to seal the victory.
Thai import Kanjana Kuthaisong led the charge with 17 points while Araneta put up 10 attacks and four aces for a 14-point effort for Generika-Ayala, which finished the double-round classification phase in sixth spot and can take out the third-rankedPower Hitters.
Kocyigit chipped in 13 points while Fiola Ceballos had 11.
“Since our two classification matches against PLDT ended up in five sets, our mindset was just to double the effort and luckily we got the breaks of the game,” said Generika-Ayala coach Sherwin Meneses.