PSL Day #3: Bingo Milyonaryo captures 1st win, Army claims 2nd straight, Cagayan Valley goes 3-0

TEAM STANDINGS

Cagayan Valley 3-0

TMS-Philippine Army 2-1

Bingo Milyonaryo 1-2

Cignal HD 1-2

Petron 1-2

PLDT MyDSL 1-2

Games on Sunday (July 14) at the PhilSports Arena, Pasig City:

2:00PM Petron vs. Bingo Milyonaryo*

4:00PM Cagayan Valley vs. Cignal HD*

6:00PM PLDT MyDSL vs. TMS-Philippine Army

*Telecast on Solar Sports starting 4:00PM

THE ARENA, San Juan City—Maureen Penetrante-Ouaño showed a flashback of what made her a two-time UAAP MVP as she led the charge for the Bingo Milyonaryo Puffins for their first victory in the ongoing Philippine Super Liga (PSL) Invitational here.

Before a crowd of about three thousand that had witnessed two quality matches preceding theirs, Penetrante-Ouaño turned back the hands of time en route to thirteen points, ably assisted by former DLSU schoolmate Stephanie Mercado's eleven markers as the Puffins defeated the Cignal HD Spikers 16-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21. Reigning UAAP Finals MVP Michele Gumabao chipped in nine points as Bingo Milyonaryo climbed into a four-way tie for third place with the triumph.

“It was not an easy win,” Gumabao said after the game. “We still have a long way to go. I believe this will get us back on track and motivate us more for the upcoming games.”

Gumabao, 20, is the youngest member of the Puffins squad that has a majority of its players come from DLSU--a generation or two after her.

“Being the youngest, there’s more pressure (on me),” she explained. “But my ates are very helpful (because) they teach me and it’s an honor playing with them and learning at the same time.”

Many notice the improved blocking skills of the former three-time UAAP Best Blocker due to her exposure to defensive icons such as Penetrante-Ouaño and Mic-Mic Laborte in Bingo Milyonaryo. Laborte, a product of sister school University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod, added eight points—including three aces—for the Puffins.

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Cignal leaned on middle-hitter Honey Royse Tubino (19 points) and Cebuana spiker Danika Gendrauli (13 points) to carry the load as star offensive weapon Venus Bernal was limited to “only” twelve markers by the stingy Bingo Milyonaryo frontline. It also helped the Puffins’ cause that they were able force the HD Spikers into a total of 37 errors compared to their mere 19; most of which came from a number of hitting faults against Bernal, who definitely had an off day.

Penetrante-Ouaño, also a long time member of the national team, only saw action in the beginning of the second set and was immediately a force for Bingo Milyonaryo; scoring on ten attack points after an anemic three points in the five set loss against Cagayan Valley last Wednesday. Observers believe that her performance is the start of an inner rekindling of the star she used to be. That will be put to the test this Sunday in their next outing.

Speaking of Cagayan Valley, the Rising Suns attained their third straight win of the tournament, this time in a four-set struggle against the unpredictable PLDT MyDSL, 25-16, 25-17, 27-29, 25-23 in a game that ended on an anti-climactic note due to a rotation violation against the rallying Speed Boosters.

With the match in the balance in the fourth set and the Rising Suns up 24-22, reserve spiker Cha Moralde served, which eventually led to the Speed Boosters winning the ensuing point. However, for the next service—which was still supposed to have been Moralde’s since the point was won under her serve—middle-hitter Pau Soriano went to the service area and delivered her serve. The table officials immediately pressed the buzzer indicating the violation and the game was over. No one noticed the premature rotation, even from the PLDT MyDSL bench and hence, the Speed Boosters have now dropped their last two assignments after pulling of an opening day victory over Bingo Milyonaryo.

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Cagayan Valley finally got the much needed scoring sock from Adamson University senior Sheila “Bangnita” Pineda, who finished with a game-high 19 points en route to her being named Player of the Game. Center Sandra de los Santos contributed 18 markers—including six service aces—and the steady Joy Benito (who got the start at the open-spiker spot) added thirteen for the Rising Suns; the only undefeated team in the tournament.

Soriano led PLDT MyDSL with fifteen points, supported by Morlade’s twelve and skipper Lou Ann Latigay—still nursing a sore shoulder—with ten. Rosemarie Vargas, who got the starting nod from Head Coach Francis Vicente, went scoreless in only two sets played. The Speed Boosters next take on the resurgent TMS-Philippine Army squad this Sunday.

For the Lady Troopers, they made short work of the depleted Petron Blaze Spikers by winning in straight sets, 25-18, 25-15, 25-19 to claim their second straight victory after an opening day five-set loss at the hands of the Rising Suns.

Team Captain Joanne Bunag (who was selected as Player of the Game) and national team mainstay Michelle Carolino tallied twelve points apiece as the TMS-Philippine Army needed only a little over an hour to dispose of the Blaze Spikers, who began the game without starting setter Rhea Dimaculangan and Day #2 heroine Maika Ortiz.

The former UST pair arrived towards the middle portion of the third set, but still couldn’t help Petron from the eventual drubbing at the hands of the more experienced Lady Troopers.

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Open-hitter Angeli Tabaquero was the only Blaze Spiker in double-figures with twelve markers, whose support came in the form of a mere five points each from former Tigresses Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Judy Ann Caballejo and former Ateneo Queen Eagle Charo Soriano. Libero Melissa Gohing missed the game due to work commitments and team captain Roxanne Pimentel-So was once again not included in the official game roster—but could see action on Sunday when Petron faces the Puffins.

The scene shifts to the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City this Sunday for another triple-header top-billed by the Petron-Bingo Milyonaryo clash (a virtual Ateneo-La Salle showdown) at 2:00PM, followed by the tiff between Cignal and Cagayan Valley at 4:00PM (highlighting the duel between two of the best liberos fresh out of college in the country in the HD Spikers’ Jen Reyes and the Rising Suns’ Jheck Dionela) and capped off by the encounter between the TMS-Philippine Army against the reeling PLDT MyDSL Speed Boosters at 6:00PM.

After Sunday’s games, we will have a clearer picture of who advances to the semifinals.

BOX SCORES

Match #7—Cagayan Valley def. PLDT MyDSL: 25-16, 25-17, 27-29, 25-23

Cagayan Valley: Pineda 19, de los Santos 18, Benito 13, Cases 9, J. Manzano 7, Semana 2, Mangui 1, Dionela (L) 0, Espelita 0.

PLDT MyDSL: P.Soriano 15, Moralde 12, Latigay 10, Benting 7, Dolar 5, Dawis 3, Eulalio 1, Gata-Pantone (L) 0, Jalbuna (L) 0, Vargas 0, Macatuno 0, Patilano 0.

Match #8—TMS Philippine Army def. Petron: 25-18, 25-15, 25-19

TMS-PA: Bunag 12, Carolino 12, Bautista 9, Salak 8, Alarca 5, Balse 4, Nunag (L) 0, Sabas 0, Cruz 0, Iratay 0, Gutierrez 0.

Petron: Tabaquero 12, Caballejo 5, Maizo-Pontillas 5, C. Soriano 5, Bello 3, Ortiz 3, Ho 1, Dimaculangan 1, del Rosario (L) 0, Cainglet 0.

Match #9—Bingo Milyonaryo def. Cignal HD: 16-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21

Bingo Milyonaryo: Penetrante-Ouaño 13, Mercado 11, Gumabao 9, Laborte 8, Saet 5, Ortega-Patrona 4, Yumang 3, Remulla 2, Peñano (L) 0, Tabuena-Cruzada 0.

Cignal HD: Tubino 19, Gendrauli 13, Bernal 12, Aguilar 7, Datuin 6, Argarin 5, Acuña 2, Fajardo 1, Legaspi 1, R. Manzano 1, Reyes (L) 0, Bernardo 0.

Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate) and email sportztackle@yahoo.com