Pocari-Air Force survived Myla Pablo’s absence and turned back BanKo-Perlas, 25-22, 17-25, 16-25, 26-24, 15-11, to close in on third place in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Reinforced Conference on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Maddie Palmer uncorked 22 attack points—the last three gave the Lady Warriors a 12-9 cushion in the fifth set—before Arie Love made consecutive hits and Elaine Kasilag foiled the Perlas Spikers’ rally with a dink at the start of their best-of-three series for third in the season-opening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision and backed by Mikasa and Asics.
Palmer also served two aces for a 24-hit output, while Love and several locals stepped up for the dethroned champions, who lost Pablo to injury before the start of their sudden death for the first finals berth with the Creamline Cool Smashers last Friday.
But the Lady Warriors still lived up to their name, fighting back from 1-2 set down and recovering from a late fourth-set meltdown before holding sway in the fifth to steal the victory from the Spikers.
“We’re disappointed of not being able to make it to the finals, but we stayed focused on this game,” Palmer said.
Pocari nearly blew a 24-21 edge in the fourth as BanKo-Perlas, with Kia Bright on the attack, scored three straight points to extend the match. But an Amy Ahomiro service error and a Del Palomata quick hit sent the match into a deciding fifth.
The Lady Warriors came up with back-to-back kill blocks off Bright to take early control in the decider, padded their lead to 9-5 on a Kasilag ace then withstood the Spikers’ fightback of three straight hits that put them back within one.