ZUS Coffee eked out a come-from-behind 24-26, 25-23, 17-25, 26-24, 15-7 win to stun last year’s runner-up Akari in an all-Filipino duel in the PVL Reinforced Conference opener on Tuesday at Ynares Center Montalban here.
With both squads forced to turn to their locals as the league and its foreign guest players await the International Transfer Certificates (ITCs) allegedly withheld by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), the Thunderbelles’ third-round pick Riza Nogales shone the brightest with 15 points, highlighted by five blocks.
Down 6-7 to start the fifth set, the Thunderbelles scored nine unanswered points, capped by Nogales’ timely hits and Fiola Ceballos’ two crucial aces to complete the comeback in the two-hour and 32-minute match.
‘We weren’t super prepared, but it’s okay. Like the players said, we’re always training and trying different combinations. And it’s not like the combos were new they’ve played together before. In recent practices, of course, we trained with the import, but given the situation, they couldn’t play yet. So we just went out there and played,’ said ZUS Coffee coach Jerry Yee, whose squad missed the services of American reinforcement Anna DeBeer.
Jovelyn Gonzaga and Chinnie Arroyo backstopped Nogales with 14 points each, while Ceballos and Kate Santiago added 13 and 11, respectively.
AC Miner also stepped up with 10 points, including the back-to-back hits in the extended fourth, to force a decider. Setter Clo Mondoñedo dished out 28 excellent sets, while libero Alyssa Eroa delivered 22 digs and 21 excellent receptions.
‘Even though we prepared with Anna, and it would’ve been better if she was there so we’d be complete, we still gave it our all today,’ said Miner.
Eli Soyud led Akari, which also has to wait for the debut of its import Annie Mitchem, with 22 points.
Chargers rookie Chennie Tagaod’s 18-point Reinforced debut went for naught, as well as the efforts of Alas players Fifi Sharma and Justine Jazareno. Sharma registered 13 points, including four blocks, while Jazareno recorded 32 digs. Mars Alba tallied 24 excellent sets in her debut for Akari.