Veteran Roces delivers goods as Perlas finally scores

Cherry Nunag of Perlas drills in a kill off a single Cignal HD block. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

ILOCOS NORTE—Perlas finally found a way to shine after two botched attempts, battling back from a set down to trip Cignal HD, 20-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-21, in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference eliminations at PCV Socio-Civic Cultural Center in Bacarra on Thursday.

Veteran Sue Roces stepped up big in the second and third sets, firing away hits on the run that anchored Perlas’ solid finish.

But while Perlas snapped its skid to revive its semis hopes with a 1-2 mark, Cignal HD’s downturn stretched to three straight for a 1-5 slate. The HD Spikers now need to sweep their last three games and hope only three teams would four wins to force a playoff for the last semis seat.

The Spikers yielded six blocks, 3-9, but outhit their rivals, 56-42, with Nicole Tiamzon banging away 13 attacks, which Cherry Nunag and Heather Guino-o matched, while Roces backed them up with 11 hits and playmaker Angelica Cayuna produced nine points on top of her 24 excellent sets.

Janine Marciano put in a 12-hit game and Norielle Ipac and Rosalyn Doria scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, but the HD Spikers failed to sustain their fine start and never recovered from their foldup in the second set.

Flashing vintage form, Roces broke a 19-all count in the second with back-to-back running attacks. She then closed it out with another pair of her signature play to highlight Perlas’ decisive 6-1 windup.

After Cayuna set up Villareal with a one-handed feed to shatter a 22-22 tally on the next frame, Roces again rose to the occasion, pumping in another pair of crosscourt hits on the run to give Perlas a 2-1 set lead.

The Spikers, who dropped back-to-back games to Choco Mucho and Chery Tiggo in a shaky start to their delayed campaign in the country’s first pro volley league, stayed in control in the fourth, taking the first technical timeout at 8-5 and holding sway at 16-12 and 23-19.

Meanwhile, Creamline shoots for semifinal seat with a sixth straight victory against a slumping Chery Tiggo side at 7 p.m. on Friday even as Choco Mucho tries to take a step closer to the next round against BaliPure at 1 p.m.

Perlas and Petro Gazz clash in the 4 p.m. contest.