Shakey’s V-League Open Finals: Army, Air Force win openers; Daquis named MVP

GAME 2s ON SUNDAY (August 31st) at The Arena, San Juan City:

2:00PM (Bronze Medal Series) – Philippine Air Force vs. PLDT Home Telpad

4:00PM (Gold Medal Series) – Cagayan Valley vs. Philippine Army

THE ARENA, SAN JUAN CITY—The Philippine Army rewarded the newest member of the league’s MVP club with a sterling triumph over arch rival Cagayan Valley 25-19, 18-25, 25-18, 25-5 in Game 1 of the titular series—with the fourth set score line by the Rising Suns tying a league record for lowest points in a set—while the Philippine Air Force bucked the absence of their coach and a first set drubbing to emerge victorious 16-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-12 over PLDT Home Telpad in the opener of their similar Best-Of-Three series for the bronze medal in the finale of the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference here.

Before Game 1 of the finals, the league handed out its conference ending individual awards and I’m happy to report that I made only two errors in predictions—which is a far cry from the outcome my swami skills had during the similar awarding of the recently concluded Philippine Super Liga (PSL) All Filipino Conference.

Here are the official winners:

Best Scorer – Alyssa Valdez (Ateneo de Manila University)

Best Attacker – Jaja Santiago (National University)

Best Blocker – Maika Ortiz (Philippine Air Force)—I predicted Sasa Devanadera of PLDT

Best Server – Rachel Anne Daquis (Philippine Army)

Best Setter – Rhea Dimaculangan (Philippine Air Force)

Best Digger – Bang Pineda (Cagayan Valley)

Best Receiver – Tatan Gata-Pantone (PLDT Home Telpad)

MVP – Rachel Anne Daquis (Philippine Army)—I predicted Aiza Maizo of Cagayan Valley

It is Daquis’ first conference MVP award and was genuinely shocked and emotional upon hearing her name called.

“I really thought Aiza (Maizo) was going to win it (MVP),” a still unbelieving Daquis told me later on in the evening, in the vernacular. “I saw the one of the polls online and saw her way ahead in the voting so I assumed she’d win. I promise I’m really emotional right now. I thank all those who believed in me. God is good.”

Maizo—the overwhelming people’s choice to win her second MVP crown—congratulated Daquis at the dugout prior to their tiff.

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When the proverbial smoke cleared after the individual awards, the Lady Troopers immediately served notice to the defending champions Cagayan Valley that they would have to earn their title as veteran playmaker Tina Salak used all of her spikers en route to an easy triumph in the first set. Cebu’s Genie Sabas and former league MVP Nerissa Bautista came out of their normal roles as support cast to lead the inspired charge in the opener, while Daquis and two other former league MVPs in Jovelyn Gonzaga and Mary Jean Balse backed-up the aggressive duo with defense at the net.

The second set saw Cagayan Valley’s aggression pick up by more than a couple of notches as skipper Angge Tabaquero came off the bench to lead the assault. The Rising Suns put a good distance between them and their foes and took the second in wire-to-wire fashion. However, the third set began as a tightly contested affair. No team was able to build a lead of more than two points in the early goings until Army broke a 10-10 tie via a 5-0 run and last year’s titlists would never recover.

Many expected the Rising Suns to replicate their second set stand in the fourth canto, but something happened that just wasn’t part of the intended script.

Army claimed the first three points of the fourth set before Maizo answered with an attack point of her own, making the score 3-1 for the Lady Troopers. Then a wicked drought engulfed the Cagayan Valley squad. The first technical timeout had Army 8-1. By the time the second technical timeout rolled along, the score became 16-2. The fourth set ended in a blur with the Lady Troopers claiming victory and when the dust settled , the final score read 25-5.

Needless to say, the five points registered by Cagayan Valley is the lowest losing score in the history of the Shakey’s V-League finals and tied the league low set only last year by the Far Eastern University (FEU) in the same conference—ironically against the same Rising Suns team that went on to win the crown by virtue of a 16-0 perfect season.

Cagayan Valley Head Coach Nes Pamilar did not offer any statement after the game and after the debacle.

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Game 2 is set for Sunday (August 31st).

Gonzaga fired a game-high nineteen points to lead four Army volleybelles in double figures while Maizo led the Rising with twelve.

Salak was named Player of the Game for amassing 47 excellent sets to go along with her eight points in an all-around showing of brilliance.

In the opening match for the bronze, Air Force Head Coach Clarence “Aying” Esteban and his entire coaching staff were not at venue and were replaced by a completely new set of mentors for their clash against the Turbo Boosters.

Interim Head Coach Jessie Lopez explained that Esteban and company had been given special tasks by the commanders in preparation for the upcoming Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Olympics.

Lopez, the former setting great out of FEU, displayed a different brand of coaching that leaned more towards the soft-spoken nature and somehow the Air Spikers responded after being bamboozled completely in the first set.

Ortiz had a statement game; unleashing nineteen points on 15/26 attacks for a whopping 58% success rate. Veterans Joy Cases, Judy Caballejo and the intrepid Iya Yongco also finished in double figures as PLDT Home Telpad gradually faded in the match.

Reigning first conference MVP Din-Din Santiago did her best to lead the charge for the Turbo Boosters with a team-high sixteen markers, but reception woes and defensive lapses led to a complete collapse which all came crashing down in the fourth set when the team could only manage to attain twelve points, after holding the Air Spikers to just sixteen points in the first set.

Their Game 2 precedes the titular series on Sunday.

Congratulations are in order for all the winners of the individual awards.

Valdez showed up later in the day to personally claim her first Best Scorer trophy as she had to finish her scholastic obligations first. But the day belonged to Daquis as the unassuming 26-year-old got a grip of herself at the last possible second as she was this close to freaking out upon learning she had finally achieved the one thing that had eluded her in her almost decade long tour of duty in the league.

She claims, however, that the championship is more important than any individual accolade that can be bestowed on her.

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Let’s all see if she can help finish the job on Sunday, or will the Rising Suns push it to a grand finale?

Come to SJA early on Sunday…as in morning. Good luck.

BOX SCORES:

Bronze Medal Series—Philippine Air Force def. PLDT Home Telpad – 16-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-12 (Air Spikers lead series 1-0)

PAF—Ortiz 19, Cases 16, Caballejo 15, Yongco 11, Tapic 6, Dimaculangan 3, Pantino 2, Manzano 2, Semana 1, De Ramos 1, Balmaceda (L) 0, Gustilo (L) 0, Andaya 0.

PLDT—D. Santiago 16, Roces 10, Soltones 9, Latigay 8, R. de Leon 5, Devanadera 4, Benting 2, Gata-Pantone (L) 0, Eroa (L) 0, Estampa 0, Patilano 0.

Gold Medal Series—Philippine Army def. Cagayan Valley – 25-19, 18-25, 25-19, 25-5 (Lady Troopers lead series 1-0)

Army—Gonzaga 19, Balse 13, Daquis 12, Bautsita 10, Sabas 9, Salak 8, Agno (L) 0, Siatan-Torres 0.

CVRS—Maizo-Pontillas 12, Vargas 10, Eulalio 7, P. Soriano 7, Tabaquero 5, Marciano 3, Benito 2, Saet 2, Pineda (L) 0, Gillego (L) 0, Sy 0.

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