Troopers rebound, trip HD Spikers

MANILA, Philippines - TMS-Philippine Army recovered from a tight third-set win to turn back Cignal, 25-22, 25-15, 25-27, 25-18, and tie its victim at 1-1 in the Philippine Super Liga women’s volleyball tournament yesterday at The Arena in San Juan.

With Nerissa Bautista, Joanne Bunag and Michelle Carolina alternating at the firing end, the Lady Troopers came out strong in the first two sets then imposed their will in the fourth to beat the HD Spikers in a big rebound from their five-set loss to Cagayan Valley side in last Sunday’s opener of the inaugural staging of the event.

In the second game, Analyn Joy Benito fired 15 kills, including two that carried Cagayan Valley to a come-from-behind 16-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-15, 15-13 victory over PCSO-Bingo Milyonaryo.

Bautista scored 13 of her 16 points in attacks, while Bunag delivered 15 kills to keep the defense of the HD Spikers guessing all game long.

Carolino, a former national team mainstay, had 11 points.

The Troopers actually fell by seven points in the third but rallied only to lose in an extended set. But they regrouped in the fourth to finally scuttle the bid of HD tossers, who swept the Petron ladies Sunday.

“We’re so happy with this win,” said Army coach Rico de Guzman. “This is a big achievement for the entire Armed Forces. They are expecting so much from us. And this win proves that we’re living up to their expectations.”

The Lady Troopers, still fresh from a third-runner up finish in a friendship tournament in Cagayan few weeks back, started out strong but Cignal, behind hard-hitting Venus Bernal, struck back in the third and took an early 8-1 advantage and kept a 15-8 lead.

But Carolino pounced hard on Cignal’s erratic net defense to tie the count at 23. Bernal, however, dropped an ace to tow Cignal to a 27-25 victory in the third set.

“They relaxed a bit in the third set,” de Guzman said. “I told them that we can’t do it, especially against a team like Cignal because it is capable of coming back even from a two-set lead. Good thing the girls responded well in the fourth set.”

But it’s all Army in the fourth with Bautista and Bunag regaining their deadly form and Carolino continuing to pierce holes in the defense of Cignal.

Bernal led Cignal with 24 points, 21 coming off kills.