Cagayan, Smart repulse rivals, near title duel

Games Friday

3 p.m. – Smart-Maynilad vs Army

5 p.m. – Cagayan vs Air Force

MANILA, Philippines - Cagayan Province bucked a first-set setback and pulled through in an extended second set thriller as it foiled a tough-defending Air Force to hack out a 17-25, 30-28, 25-19, 25-9 victory yesterday and move closer to a dream finals stint in the Shakey’s V-League Season 10 Open Conference’s Final Four at The Arena in San Juan.

The Rising Suns, who swept the Air Women both in four in the elims and the quarters, succumbed to Air Force’s strong start and barely eked out a steal of a win in the second before imposing their strength and will in the last two to pound out the one-hour and 40-minute victory.

It was Cagayan’s 13th straight win in the season-ending conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s and backed by Mikasa and Accel with the Rising Suns going for the clincher in their best-of-three Final Four series on Friday.

Smart-Maynilad, behind Lithawat Kesinee and Alyssa Valdez’s combined 43-hit output, also repeated over Army, 28-26, 25-17, 19-25, 29-27, to take the opener in their side of the Final Four.

Wanida Kotruang, Smart’s other Thai reinforcement, added 16 points while Sue Roces pumped in 10 hits as the Net Spikers outlasted the Army Women in the tense-filled fourth set.

Jovelyn Gonzaga and MJ Balse each had 15 hits while Rachel Anne Daquis tossed in 12 markers for the now embattled second seeded Army Women.

Cagayan’s vaunted troika of Kannika Thipachot, Aiza Maizo and Angeli Tabaquero were at it again, combining for 44 hits with the Thai ace knocking in 20 kills and finishing with 23 points. Maizo had 12 attacks and made three blocks while Tabaquero settled for seven points as coach Nes Pamilar rested her in the fourth due to a recurring injuries in her knee, ankle and shoulder.

Pamilar rued his wards’ lack of communication in the early going, which the Air Women, behind Joy Cases, Judy Ann Caballejo, Liza de Ramos and Maika Ortiz, pounced on to seize control.

“There was miscommunication. They relied much on Tabaquero. But we were able to make the adjustment in time,” said Pamilar in Pilipino.

While Thipachot led the Rising Suns all throughout, it was Maizo who stepped up in the last three frames.

After a first-set struggle, Cagayan failed to close out the second frame early after leading 24-23, but the Rising Suns thwarted the Air Women’s fightback before Maizo came through with back-to-back kills to lift Cagayan to victory.

That gave the Rising Suns the momentum and the push as their second stringers, including Shiela Pineda and Sandra Delos Santos, rose to the challenge in the last two sets. Pineda wound up with 10 hits while de los Santos added nine markers.

Maizo closed out the match with a corner spike that sailed right in the middle of Air Force’s court.

Cases topscored with 17 points, Caballejo chipped in 12, and Ortiz and de Ramos had 10 hits apiece for the Air Women, who, however, produced more blocks than the Rising Suns, 12-8, majority in the opening frame.