Philippine Super Liga Day #3 recognitions
With the stirring win of Bingo Milyonaryo over Cignal HD, things just got muddled in the race for the semifinals in the ongoing Philippine Super Liga (PSL) Invitational. Cagayan Valley is already assured of a spot in the final four after picking up three successive wins while the TMS-Philippine Army is also looking good to advance in this very short club tournament. The Puffins, HD Spikers, Petron and PLDT MyDSL are now in a logjam for third and it will be interesting to see how the teams will part ways this coming Sunday as the scene shifts to the PhilSports Arena for Day #4 of competition.
But before that, we got more fictitious accolades to bestow on some of the top (and not so top) performers from Day #2, so let’s get to it shall we?
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Maureen Penetrante-Ouaño—Bingo Milyonaryo
It may appear sacrilegious to historians of the game that the former two-time UAAP MVP’s performance in the Puffins’ win against Cignal could merit an adjective called “breakout”. After all, she’s been terrorizing defenses since she first appeared in a DLSU jersey at the turn of the millennium and had been a stalwart representing the country in the sport. But consider these: she hasn’t played competitive volleyball in a long time, she didn’t fare well in the first two matches of Bingo Milyonaryo and seemed a step slow coming into the tiff against the HD Spikers. Then—boom! “Em”—her nickname—churns out thirteen points on ten attacks, two blocks and an ace; a complete all-around thrashing of the opposition. For Penetrante-Ouaño, it’s all coming back to her now, and that’s a scary prospect for the rest of the league.
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SURPRISE PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Sandra de los Santos—Cagayan Valley
Here’s another case of someone we shouldn’t associate an adjective like “surprising” with. After all, I’ve often referred to Sandra in my broadcasts as “the future of Philippine volleyball” since she started to emerge on the scene as a newbie for the eventual NCAA titlists UPHSD. Against PLDT MyDSL, however, de los Santos brought a loaded gun in the form of her serve—and unleashed six aces against the hapless Speed Boosters, even in the presence of legendary opposing libero Lizlee Ann Gata-Pantone. Sandra delivered 18 points (a normal outing, if you know what she packs). But after firing 22 serves and only faulting twice along with those massive aces, it appears that she’s finally fixed the only part of her arsenal that was suspect—and that now makes her one of the most dangerous players in the game.
SECOND STRING STAR OF THE DAY: Cha Moralde—PLDT MyDSL
This is such a tainted accolade due to the fact that all these young ladies are legitimate starters. The difficulty, though, is adjusting to being a role-player after being a superstar in college—much like the transition in any level-up. Moralde, highly recruited after her high school years in Bacolod, ended her collegiate career in USLS and was among the top scorers in Region VI. But playing for a star-studded Speed Boosters in the PSL, she finally grabbed an opportunity to shine and made the most of her minutes on the floor by collecting twelve points on 11/37 attacks and was a catalyst in their extended triumph over the Rising Suns in that third set war. People in Region VI know what she can bring to the table. Now the whole country just witnessed it.
OVERACHIEVER OF THE DAY: Honey Royse Tubino—Cignal HD
What does a true star do when the main option just isn’t clicking? She steps up. Royse just showed the mettle that made her a member of the Bomberinas by single-handedly blasting the Bingo Milyonaryo frontline en route to 19 points as primary gun Venus Bernal was all but silenced by the Puffins. Tubino’s virtual one-woman-crusade almost got the job done for the HD Spikers, but it still wasn’t enough to avoid the loss. The good news for Tubino is that upcoming opponent PLDT MyDSL has a smaller frontline than that of Bingo Milyonaryo and she could be primed for a field day against the Speed Boosters if she keeps this up.
DNP-CD WONDER OF THE DAY: Liza de Ramos—Cagayan Valley
I bumped into her in the hall of The Arena that day, so I’m pretty sure she was there. De Ramos has been a pillar of strength at the center position for the Rising Suns, despite not really being an offensive factor in previous games. Whether or not Head Coach Nes Pamilar opted to give more playing time to his younger players is something we may never know, but apparently the risk paid off and Cagayan Valley stays unscathed. De Ramos’ veteran leadership will be needed in the match-up against Cignal this Sunday, though.
RELATED: PSL Day #3: Bingo Milyonaryo captures 1st win, Army claims 2nd straight, Cagayan Valley goes 3-0
TRIVIA OF THE DAY: DLSU has the most representatives in the PSL with 12
But I guess you already figured that out, right? Nine of the twelve former Lady Spikers are with Bingo Milyonaryo while Jac Alarca plays for the TMS-Philippine Army, Michelle Datuin is with Cignal and Melissa Gohing with Petron. FEU has the second most alumna with eleven, while UST has ten—eight of which are in the Petron roster. UP is the only UAAP school with no representative in the league, while from the NCAA there are four apiece from Letran and Perpetual. USLS has the most graduates from the regional schools with three players in the league.
HIGHLIGHT MOMENT OF THE DAY: Mr. Andres Montinola, PSL senior official, makes debut as public address announcer—WWE style
I had the privilege of being tapped as the public address (PA) announcer—or barker—for the games yesterday (July 12) as the regular voice of the league Jane Buquid had to attend to a sudden emergency. However, PSL Commissioner Dr. Ian Laurel informed me of my task fifteen minutes before the start of the first game and I was in neighboring Mandaluyong City, fulfilling my obligations as continuity announcer for Solar Sports. I arrived at The Arena just in time for the second technical timeout of the first set and proceeded to take over from the grizzled veteran of the game. I later learned that he transformed the player introductions to something akin to a wrestling title-fight. Having my doubts on the veracity of the tale, I said nothing. During the gap between the second and third game, I asked if Montinola could do the protocol duties while I purchased some food, and he agreed. While lining up for a hotdog in one of the concessions stands, the protocol began and his booming voice once again rocked the stadium. This time I heard it with my own ears. It was indeed an introduction that would have made Jimmy Lennon rise from the grave. I liked it, though! It gave a rock n’ roll feel to the game. I’ll have to train under him to perfect that kind of gusto in future games I call in the venue.
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PLAYER OF THE DAY: Sheila Pineda—Cagayan Valley
This is the second time in three playing days that a member of the Rising Suns is feted with this “prestigious” award. I guess you can say it’s well deserved, though as Cagayan Valley has yet to drop an assignment so far. “Bangnita” starred in their opening day win on defense; picking up fourteen excellent digs against the TMS-Philippine Army. This time around against PLDT MyDSL, she showed her true fangs by going airborne and knocking down 19 markers—17 of which were delivered from vicious spikes. She’s not blessed with tremendous height—standing about 5’5”—but her springs were activated against the Speed Boosters—reinforced by a majority of her former college teammates and the strength of the lone Lady Falcon on the Rising Suns roster was enough to overpower PLDT MyDSL in garnering the third straight triumph for her squad. The smile that followed during the postgame interview was the cherry on top of the sundae as the fans gave their unbridled approval of the television panel’s unanimous selection for Player of the Game. Now, she also gets the nod for sportZtackle Player of the Day.
MATCH OF THE DAY: Bingo Milyonaryo def. Cignal HD for 1st win
This is practically a no-brainer for those who had the privilege for watching all three matches in Day #3. After the first set shellacking employed by the HD Spikers (winning 25-16), it looked like it was going to be another struggle for the Puffins; then the only winless squad in the tournament. Then things started to come together for Bingo Milyonaryo in the second set when Penetrante-Ouaño checked into the game for the first time. The Puffins’ net defense began turning back wunderkind Bernal and their offense began picking up as Stephanie Mercado and Michele Gumabao began finding their grooves. Cignal kept coming strong at Bingo Milyonaryo; forcing the Puffins to earn every point, and when the final service of Gumabao went unreturned, the team—composed of mostly alumna of DLSU—spilled onto the floor in unabashed jubilation as if they had won another UAAP title; many even noticing tears from some of the players. It was the kind of emotional lift they needed to continue trying to get better in the tournament. Many doubts on their abilities to still perform at a high level were instantly erased as now Bingo Milyonaryo looms as a late dark horse due to the pulsating win. Cignal’s Jen Reyes texted me after the match, however, expressing disgust at the loss. You know the HD Spikers will take this bitter defeat, turn it into a lesson and come back even stronger when they face the TMS-Philippine Army on Sunday. That’s going to be a match worth watching, and so will the tussle between the Puffins and Petron, preceeding that.
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PHOTO CAPTION OPPORTUNITY OF THE DAY
And while we’re on the topic of Bingo Milyonaryo, today’s Photo Caption Opportunity features defense demigod Mic-Mic Laborte (#17) who apparently saw something in the distance that made her smile. You guys decide! In the comments box, just start with the header PHOTO CAPTION ANSWER and get as creative as you can.
See you at the PhilSports Arena. We’re almost at the homestretch now.
Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate) and email sportztackle@yahoo.com
