PLDT Home Telpad stays spotless, blanks Cagayan Valley; PAF dumps UP in Shakey’s V-League Open
TEAM STANDINGS:
PLDT Home Telpad 3-0
Philippine Army 2-0
National University 1-0
Philippine Air Force 2-1
Ateneo de Manila University 1-1
Cagayan Valley 1-1
Philippine National Police 0-3
University of the Philippines 0-4
GAMES ON THURSDAY (July 10th at the San Juan Arena)
2:00PM Philippine Army vs. National University
4:00PM Philippine Air Force vs. Ateneo de Manila University
THE ARENA, San Juan City—With the impending debuts of UAAP stalwarts Din-Din Santiago, Aby Maraño and Mina Aganon put on indefinite hold, the PLDT Home Telpad Speed Boosters claimed their third consecutive straight sets win this time at the expense of the defending champions Cagayan Valley 25-23, 25-23, 25-21 while the Philippine Air Force (PAF) dug deep to fight off a stingy University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons 25-21, 25-22, 25-18 in the ongoing preliminary round of the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference here.
Fresh from a similar straight sets conquest of his former squad the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles just last Sunday, PLDT Home Telpad Head Coach Roger Gorayeb lamented on the current delay of his three prized recruits as they are still seeing action for other squads in the ongoing Philippine Super Liga (PSL) All Filipino Conference and under PSL rules individuals cannot be “leased” to other teams while their season is ongoing.
“We have to wait until the PSL tournament ends on July 26th,” Gorayeb explained in the vernacular. “They signed an agreement with their mother teams and we have to wait.”
Gorayeb, who also coaches the PLDT Home TVolution Lady Power Attackers in the PSL has brought the core of his PSL squad to the Shakey’s V-League (SVL) and while the acquisition of individual players is not allowed by the PSL, the entry of an entire contingent to the SVL is.
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“Din-Din (Santiago) got flak from Petron (her mother team in the PSL) for playing for (Gorayeb’s) Tuguegarao team during the (recently concluded) Cagayan Friendship Games (CFG),” a team official confided. “There were even members of the Petron coaching staff who came here to watch our opening game (against UP) to see if Din-Din would suit up.”
However, even without Santiago, Maraño (also under contract with Air Asia) and Aganon (also with Petron) as well as the absence of six-foot reserve center-spiker Nica Guliman (out indefinitely due an appendectomy), the Speed Boosters still found various ways to diffuse the usually aggressive offense of the Rising Suns; shutting down scoring dynamo Pau Soriano and limiting the former Adamson quicker to a mere two points. PLDT Home Telpad also withstood the two-pronged attack from former UST tandem Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Angeli Tabaquero, who combined for 23 points but failed to get the necessary support from the other members of the squad.
More heartbreaking for Cagayan Valley is that they lost the first two sets on uncharacteristic errors from their solid setters as Chie Saet was called for a double touch on her set in the twilight of the first canto and reserve playmaker Gyzelle Sy was whistled for an obvious crossing violation in the second. At the time both violations happened, the Speed Boosters had just edged into set point at 24-23.
The Rising Suns got off to a hot start in the third set and even led by as much as five points, 9-4, before 19-year-old Gretchel Soltones caught fire for PLDT Home Telpad and rattled off most of her thirteen markers in that set. Former league MVP Louann Latigay was the most consistent source of offense for the Speed Boosters, coming away with a game-high fourteen points—most of which were scored in the first two sets to make up for an unusually anemic showing by skipper Suzanne Roces, who could only muster nine points.
Player of the Game honors went to veteran setter Ruby de Leon, though, as her consistency and sneaky drop ball attacks had the Cagayan Valley defenses guessing and it seems that the former UST ace is beginning to recapture the form that allowed her to win a Finals MVP last year. Legendary libero Lizlee Ann Gata-Pantone was also a vital cog in their third successive triumph by bucking a rough start to register 25 “excellents” (16 excellent receptions and 9 excellent digs) while her opposite number—and former collegiate teammate—Sheila “Bangnita” Pineda could only produce a little over half of that output (13 “excellents”).
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Both teams take a week off before plunging back into action next Tuesday (July 15th) as the much anticipated tiff between PLDT Home Telpad and Lady Troopers takes place while the Rising Suns lock horns with PAF in what is expected to be the longest gameday of the tournament.
Speaking of the Air Spikers, they were able to bestow a gift for opener Judy Caballejo in a belated celebration of her 23rd birthday—but not without a stiff fight from the Lady Maroons.
Caballejo, who moved two years closer to a quarter-century on this planet last July 7th, only got to see action for the duration of the opening set and the latter portion of the third set as PAF Head Coach Clarence “Aying” Esteban opted to field in his second unit to see if the hungrier team could subdue the rapidly improving Dilimanians.
With UP’s quicker combo of Kathy Bersola and “converted” Angeli Araneta playing inspired ball, the Air Spikers’ first unit struggled to keep in step with their younger opponents. UP—playing without freshman opposite hitter Caryl Sandoval due to an illness—squeezed every ounce of talent they could from first year setter Jewel Lai and the seventeen-year-old product of Hope Christian High School ended up outdueling veteran orchestrator Rhea Dimaculangan as the numbers showed that Lai went 26/26 in excellent sets while “DMac” could only produce 20/34. That stat line is deceptive, though, as reserve setter Gena Andaya and hybrid volleybelle Wendy Semana saw extended minutes in the second set for PAF.
For the Lady Maroons, their floor defense kept PAF from getting the easy points they are accustomed to due to their high-powered offense.
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Freshman sensation Arielle Estrañero played her libero role to the hilt and infected her teammates with her quickness and dedication to floor patrolling. There were so many long rallies as a result and although the Air Spikers won a majority of them, it served noticed that the Lady Maroons are starting to find their proverbial groove—and that can only mean a ton of positives for Head Coach Jerry Yee.
PAF’s second unit—composed of Andaya, Semana, former De La Salle-Dasmariñas (DLS-D) skipper Jen Manzano, Davao’s Neneng Tapic and unheralded Baguio lass May Ann Pantino, along with starter Maika Ortiz and lone libero Mary Ann Balmaceda—proved to be a potent combination for coach Aying, especially Pantino who looked more like a young Joy Cases as she began the process of pounding the UP defenses into near submission.
Pantino was chosen Player of the Game for coming away with a league career-high ten points, tying her with Ortiz for tops on the team. Bersola and captain Nicole Tiamzon led the UP charge with eleven points apiece but could not prevent the Lady Maroons from dropping to the cellar with a lowly 0-4 mark. They next take on PNP on Sunday in what promises to be a war of attrition between the only two teams without a win so far.
I had fun back at the broadcast booth with Noreen Go and Bianca Saldua for the first time since opening day—owing to a total collapse of my vocal chords over a majority of last week—but I have been fortunate enough to be tasked to do the matches this coming Thursday (July 10th) this time alongside living legend (Tita) Mozzy Ravena and Rheena Villamor. Do join us at SJA.
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BOXSCORES:
Philippine Air Force (2-1) def. University of the Philippines (0-4)
PAF—Ma. Ortiz 10, Pantino 10, Tapic 8, Caballejo 7, Manzano 7, Cases 5, de Ramos 5, Yongco 5, Dimaculangan 1, Andaya 1, Semana 1, Balmaceda (L) 0.
UP—Bersola 11, Tiamzon 11, Araneta 10, Ilustre 6, Lai 2, Mo. Ortiz 1, Estrañero (L) 0.
PLDT Home Telpad (3-0) def. Cagayan Valley (1-1)
PLDT—Latigay 14, Soltones 13, Roces 9, R. de Leon 7, Devanadera 6, C. Soriano 6, Gata-Pantone (L) 0, Benting 0.
CVRS—Maizo-Pontillas 13, Tabaquero 10, Vargas 9, Eulalio 7, Sy 3, P. Soriano 2, Marciano 2, Pineda (L) 0, Gillego (L) 0, Saet 0, Benito 0, Guevara 0.
Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate) and email sportztackle@yahoo.com
