The Petro Gazz Angels survived BaliPure, 25-20, 26-24, 25-23, to bolster its campaign heading to the final stretch of the elims in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the PCV Socio-Civic Cultural Center in Bacarra.
Cebuana spiker Gretchel Soltones fired in 14 points, including nine attacks, the last two wrapping up the one-hour, 20-minute match that boosted the Angels’ mark to 5-2 and into a tie with the Chery Tiggo Crossovers and dashed the Water Defenders’ own semis hopes at 2-5.
BaliPure actually won the spiking duel, 38-31, and had more blocks, 10-8 but the Water Defenders struggled on the receiving end, allowing the Angels to score nine aces. BaliPure also yielded 29 unforced errors against Petro Gazz’s 17.
Ria Meneses helped Soltones out with eight markers while Myla Pablo and Jerrill Malabanan added seven points apiece for the Angels, who will wrap up their elims assignment against the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors on Thursday and the Flying Titans on Sunday.
“We took advantage of the opportunity to give the other players playing time for our starters to recover for the games ahead,” said Petro Gazz coach Arnold Laniog. “We need them to be 100 percent in our next matches.”
Pablo, meanwhile, said they still have to play with more cohesion to reduce their miscues that have stymied their campaign in the country’s first volley pro league.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” said Pablo, whose Angels lost the Cool Smashers and the Crossovers. “BaliPure really fought real hard and I think we lacked communication inside.”
Those miscues enabled the Water Defenders to fight back in the second and third sets although the Angels out-steadied their rivals in both stretches, escaping in the extended second set duel then finishing them off in the third on Soltones’ power shots. (JNP)