IT took ZUS Coffee six games to finally savor victory, but the Thunderbelles made the long wait worthwhile with a stirring comeback from two sets down to stun Galeries Tower, 17-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-12, in the PVL All Filipino Conference Siklab Series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum late Tuesday night.
Too late to salvage their semifinal bid, the breakthrough victory nevertheless gave the Thunderbelles something equally precious – a badly needed boost of confidence and a measure of pride after five straight defeats.
“Pinagtrabahuhan talaga namin ito, nilaban namin. Ayaw lang talaga naming ma-zero ang record namin. Kaya ilalaban pa din namin ng husto ang mga remaining games namin,” said veteran Chai Troncoso, who delivered 13 points and 21 excellent digs to earn Best Player of the Game honors.
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Already out of semis contention after opening the campaign with five consecutive losses, ZUS Coffee made sure it would not be the only team heading for an early exit. The defeat also knocked the Highrisers out of the Final Four race, dropping them to 1-5.
The Thunderbelles saved their best for the decisive fifth set, where they erased an early 3-6 deficit behind the timely contributions of AC Miner, Chinnie Arroyo and Troncoso, whose combined efforts pulled them back into the fight and forced the frame's second deadlock at 7.
Another Troncoso hit gave ZUS Coffee the lead, and the Thunderbelles seized control from there, stringing together two more points for a three-point cushion.
AC Miner led ZUS Coffee with 17 points, while Jolina dela Cruz chipped in 10. Alyanna Ong and Santiago also made valuable contributions, finishing with nine and eight points, respectively.
It was a sorry setback for the Highrisers, who were hoping to keep their slim semifinal hopes alive. However, the defeat officially eliminated them from semis contention, overshadowing Jean Asis’ career-high 27-point performance, as well as the 13 and 12 points contributed by Erika Deloria and Ebon, respectively.
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