Philippine Super Liga Day #1 recognitions

Here’s what I’ll be doing: the day after every gameday—since I watch/cover/announce all the Philippine Super Liga (PSL) games—I will come up with a list of awards for the top performers, surprising underachievers, etc. and maybe even a few unexpected things that we never saw coming. I will always end it with a picture-caption opportunity, just for fun.

Once again, you fans are the reason we in the media are driven to keep writing and reporting about the goings-on in Philippine women’s volleyball; be it the PSL, the Shakey’s V-League or the collegiate leagues. Personally, my goal is to bring women’s volleyball to the level of where men’s basketball is. If it can’t suprass it—for now—then let’s at least bring it close enough to it. Very soon we will have that dominating national team which can bring us to regional dominance, and who knows how much progress we can make from that point, right?

So here we go. Day #1 recognitions coming at you:

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Danika Gendrauli—Cignal

Coming into the match-up against crowd-darlings Petron, Cignal knew they had to get the Lady Boosters’ supporters out of the equation to help them capture their first victory. Gendrauli not only got the starting nod from Head Coach Sammy Acaylar, but also proved that she could make a difference in helping ease the pressure off of star spiker Venus Bernal. The Cebuana lefty unleashed 12 points and was a big factor in the win. Whether or not she can repeat this performance in their upcoming tiff against the TMS-Philippine Army will be highly anticipated.

SURPRISE PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Iris Ortega-Patrona—Bingo Milyonaryo

Looking at the Bingo Milyonaryo roster, you’d probably think that the youngsters—meaning those who are just fresh out of the De La Salle University (DLSU) program—would be carrying the offensive load for the “Puffins”. Well, when the “youngsters” began squandering an early lead, Bingo Milyonaryo Head Coach Ronald Dulay inserted the 30-year-old Patrona to try and jumpstart the offense. Patrona went on to top score for Bingo Milyonaryo (14 points) and could be in line for a starting job when the Puffins next face Cagayan Valley. If Bingo Milyonaryo wants that first win, Patrona has to be a big part of it.

ALSO READ: N.Zealand training key to Gilas success

OFF THE BENCH STAR OF THE DAY: Rosemarie Vargas—PLDT MyDSL

At around the second technical timeout of the first set, PLDT MyDSL Head Coach Francis Vicente needed a lift as his squad just couldn’t seem to get over the hump against Bingo Milyonaryo. When skipper Lou Ann Latigay began nursing her right shoulder—which was a recurring problem for her during her college days at San Sebastian—Vicente brought in the former FEU hard-hitter, and she never sat down after. Vargas matched Patrona’s firepower which allowed teammate Pau Soriano to dominate. She defied the defense so many times that the Puffins' offense got derailed because of all the effort they had to put in trying to stop her. If Latigay’s shoulder problems persist in the Speed Boosters’ next match against Petron, Vargas may get a whole lot of additional court time—in a good way.

OVERACHIEVER OF THE DAY: Sheila Pineda—Cagayan Valley

We all know "Bangnita" is adept at offense; being one of Adamson’s top scorers. But in the game against the TMS-Philippine Army Lady Troopers, Pineda made her presence felt not really on offense (she only had eight points), but in back row floor defense; turning herself into a virtual second libero for the Rising Suns. The fifth year Lady Falcon—yes, she still has UAAP eligibility—registered 14 excellent digs and even helped out at the net with two block points against the very tall Lady Troopers. Her heroic defensive performance was one of the catalysts in the triumph by Cagayan Valley and maybe she can display that kind of overachievement once again against Bingo Milyonaryo on Wednesday.

DNP-CD (DID NOT PLAY-COACH’S DECISION) WONDER OF THE DAY: Melissa Gohing—Petron

The signing of this exceptional libero from DLSU was one of the most “tweeted” news last Friday. However, when Petron entered the court during the opening ceremonies it was immediately evident that she wasn’t lined up as a libero. Petron, wearing the white jerseys, had UST veterans Jessica Curato and Grace del Rosario in blue—indicating that they are the registered liberos for the match against Cignal. At about the middle of the third set, the Petron faithful at the PhilSports Arena began chanting “Gohing, Gohing, Gohing,” pleading for Head Coach Vilet Ponce de Leon to field in the lone Lady Spiker on the team. Their pleas went unanswered, though, as de Leon opted to keep her in the freezer. Maybe the fans don’t know that Gohing had only trained ONCE with the team since signing before the weekend and could maybe make her PSL debut in their upcoming encounter versus PLDT MyDSL. She might even be moved to her natural position, but that is the coaching staff’s decision to make.

RELATED: Philippine Super Liga opens: Cignal, PLDT MyDSL, Cagayan Valley prevail

TRIVIA OF THE DAY: Who scored the first point in the PSL and who set the league scoring record?

Venus Bernal of Cignal scored the first point in PSL history. Jen Manzano unleashed 22 points against TMS-Philippine Army which is the highest point output of any individual so far.

HIGHLIGHT MOMENT OF THE DAY: Venue Generator Set catches fire

Yes, there were a zillion long rallies, wicked blocks (mostly by Bingo Milyonaryo’s Mic-Mic Laborte) and massive attacks (mostly by Manzano), but the one thing that those who witnessed it will remember is that during the opening ceremonies the generator set—used to help supply more electricity inside the venue—caught fire and nearly singed nearby telephone cables at the south entrance of the PhilSports Arena. Initially, I thought it was the television genset that went ablaze because almost all the people inside the Solar Sports OB Van jumped out to check out the ruckus, but it appeared that their genset was safe. The fire was so high that security personnel from the adjacent Valle Verde Country Club rushed in bearing fire extinguishers to help put out the blaze, lest the van the generator is mounted on explode. The fire was put out in a matter of minutes and no harm was done—except to the poor generator that was charred, but still continued to churn.

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Jheck Dionela (L)—Cagayan Valley

Manzano could have easily bagged this accolade after setting the league scoring record. Bernal also could have taken it for her amazing performance against Petron. But I decided to award this to a player who didn’t even tallya single point. Jheck Dionela might have set career-highs in receiving and digging, enabling Cagayan Valley to escape in that five-set thriller that ended way past 10:00PM. The former Lady Altas garnered 15 excellent receptions and a mind-boggling 26 excellent digs—that’s half of her team's 52 excellent digs (which could also be a record in Philippine women’s volleyball). Dionela was all over the floor frustrating the usually consistent attacks from Lady Troopers Michelle Carolino and Nerissa Bautista. Bautista still came away with 13 points, but Dionela’s defense helped diffuse the normally potent offense of Army. Dionela and Pineda executed splendid coverage all throughout, but Dionela’s numbers--and the swag that came with her achieving it--makes her the Player of the Day, at least for me.

MATCH OF THE DAY: Cagayan Valley vs. TMS-Philippine Army (5 sets)

When the schedule-makers finalized the opening day matches during the PSL press conference/kick-off party, many already saw that this match-up had the potential to be a barn-burner. They were right. Look at the scoreline: 23-25, 25-27, 26-24, 14-25, 15-12 for Cagayan Valley. Both teams combined for 216 points! This is hard to achieve even in basketball sometimes. No one was giving an inch. Balse and team captain Joanne Bunag played more aggressively than I’ve seen them in past years. Pineda’s inspired defense and Dionela’s outstanding coverage enabled setter Wendy Semana to orchestrate the offense correctly and got monster numbers from Manzano, Joy Cases and former Shakey’s V-League MVP Sandra de los Santos. The match was a classic that should have been on TV. Oh well, many also say this might have been a preview of the championship game. Maybe we will get to see it on TV eventually after all.

ALSO READ: Roi Sumang and Boyzie Zamar: UE's Mr. Clutch and Mr. Quote

PHOTO CAPTION OPPORTUNITY OF THE DAY:

Try interpreting this one featuring Petron's Fille Cainglet (#4). Just reply in the comments box with the header PHOTO CAPTION ANSWER. I'll leave this one up to you guys...

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