Bacoor City Strikers outclassed Negros Oriental, 28-26, 25-14, 25-23, in Game 3 of the best-of-three finals to reign supreme in the inaugural Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association last night at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.
The Lady Altas turned to power-hitting trio of Rhose Dapol, Shaila Omipon and Razel Aldea to finish off the Lady Blue Hawks to rule the maiden conference of the league organized by eight-division boxing champion and former Senator Manny Pacquiao.
Dapol pounded 11 kills in her 13-point outing while Omipon and Aldea scattered 11 and 10 markers each as Bacoor finally copped the championship after Negros spoiled their celebration in its home court last Tuesday in Game 2.
The Sandy Rieta-mentored Lady Altas, who took Game 1 in four sets, got their way in the last two frames after a neck-and-neck battle to the finish in the extended opening frame.
Angel Habacon was the only Lady Blue Hawks player in double figures with 21 points she collected from 17 kills, three aces and a kill block.
Meanwhile, Marikina showed great resolve coming back from a 1-2 match deficit before pulling through in a tightly contested fifth set over Rizal Xentro Mall, 18-25, 25-9, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13, in the winner-take-all Game 3 to bag the bronze medal.
The Lady Shoemasters kept their cool when the home team made a late rally, blasting a closing 3-1 scoring salvo to emerge victorious in the best-of-three series.
Majoy Onofre stood tall for Marikina firing 22 points including 14 kills while playing a key role in the team’s comeback from a four-point deficit in the fourth set to force a second straight decider.
“We just had the mindset that this is our last game of the season we don’t know what will happen in the next conference. We just gave our all and went all out to make all our sacrifices worth it,” Onofre, who hosted the Lady Shoemasters’ block party with seven kill blocks, said.
Marikina saw its three-point lead in the fifth set erased after the Golden Coolers fought back as Stacey Lopez tied it at 12 with back-to-back hits.
A costly reception error by Rizal’s Johna Dolorito gave the Lady Shoemasters’ an opening to counter as Onofre pushed Marikina at matchpoint, 14-12, on a quick attack.
Shannen Palec hammered the finishing blow off a rebound that broke Rizal’s block. Golden Coolers head coach Cromwell Garcia called for a block touch challenge but was unsuccessful on the review.
Justine Rebleza finished with 17 points while Palec had 16 for the Lady Shoemasters, who took Game 1 in straight sets, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21, last Friday.
Rizal behind its home crowd looked poised to complete a come-from-behind series win after a big bounce back from a second frame meltdown.
The Golden Coolers turned the tables around in the third set after clawing their way out of an early seven-point deficit followed by a momentum-shifting 6-0 closing barrage to steal the frame.
Marikina went down 17-21 in the fourth frame but Sydney Niegos teamed up with Onofre and Palec for the 8-1 counterattack to force the fifth set.
Lopez got 20 points with 18 coming off spikes to lead four other Golden Coolers in double-digit scoring.
Faith De Guzman, Janeth Tulang, Venize Puzon and Joan Doguna all had 10 markers in a lost cause for Rizal, who won in five sets in Game 2 held last Tuesday in Bacoor, Cavite.
