Bacoor Lady Strikers during a Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) Season 1 game. –MPVA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Bacoor eked out a 25-20, 27-25, 25-23 win over Negros in the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) Season 1 on Saturday at Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
After overcoming the tough challenge of Negros in the first two sets for a 2-0 advantage, Bacoor was pushed to the limits and trailed 19-20 in the third set.
Camille Bustamante restored the order for the Lady Strikers at 21-all, followed by crucial errors from the Lady Blue Hawks and Angeliz Cosme misfiring.
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It didn’t help Negros’ cause when it was slapped with a pair of yellow cards, including one for coach Jessie Barroga, for protesting a call following a long and thrilling rally.
Winnie Bedaña closed out the game for Bacoor, finishing with 12 points to boost her team’s chance for the top two spots with their ninth victory in 11 matches in the nine-team league founded by former Senator and MPBL chairman Manny Pacquiao and organized by Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.
But the road for the twice to beat advantage in the semifinals gets tougher from here on out for the Lady Strikers with Quezon and Rizal on a roll entering the crucial stretch of the preliminaries.
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Quezon is on top with a 10-1 win-loss card while Rizal is behind with a 10-3 slate in the nine-team upstart volleyball league.
Cyrille Alemaniana was also instrumental for Bacoor, which is made out of mostly of standouts from NCAA’s Perpetual Help. Bustamante added eight points including two blocks.
Negros suffered its seventh loss in 11 games with Cosme leading the way with 12 points. Gela Lopez and Andrea Caparal, who didn’t see action in the third set, registered 11 points each.