Motolite got enough fire from its gunners to take down BanKo Perlas, 26-28, 25-14, 25-19, 25-17, Saturday night and equalize the battle for bronze at one game apiece in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at Filoil Flying V Centre.
But whether Motolite can live to fight another day depends on the result of Game 2 of the finals between Creamline and PetroGazz. If the Cool Smashers win it late Saturday to finish the series, the Perlas Spikers will take third place on account of a better sets-won quotient.
BanKo Perlas won Game 1 in straight sets.
Still, it was a big win for the Motolite Spikers, who got big numbers from Myla Pablo, Tots Carlos and Isa Molde, who scored seven of the match’s last nine points to preserve the win.
“In the first set we knew that we could do it but we let it slip away,” said Pablo, who topscored with 26 points despite a hurting left foot.
She was referring to the close opening frame when the teams traded set points before Nicole Tiamzon and Kath Bersola joined hands to clinch the set for BanKo Perlas.
Carlos finished with 18 points, including a smash that broke a 16-all deadlock and sparked a massive windup for Motolite.
“This is a young team full of promise,” Pablo said in Filipino. “I know that they look up to me as the leader so it’s my responsibility.”
The veterans of the Perlas Spikers failed to control the young Motolite side.
“We are just playing together for six months,” Pablo said. “In the Reinforced Conference, we had a hard time because we changed imports, but now playing all-Filipino we get to jell.”
Bersola and Sue Roces accounted for 12 points, while Tiamzon had 11 for BanKo Perlas.