MANILA – Capital1 Solar Energy Solar Spikers pulled off a massive upset in the PVL Reinforced Conference via a 26-24, 25-20, 25-18 stunner against Petro Gazz Angels on Tuesday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Marina Tushova spearheaded the offense with 24 points, on 23 attacks and a service ace, while Iris Tolenada set the tone with 15 excellent sets as the Solar Spikers climb to a 1-1 record to a tie with the Angels in Pool B.
This is the Solar Spikers’ second PVL franchise win following their 25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 25-20 triumph against Strong Group Athletics, now ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, in the 2024 PVL 1st All-Filipino Conference on March 5.
After a tight first set victory, the Solar Spikers rode on the momentum with strong starts come the second and third sets before they held off the attempted uprisings by the Angels.
Solar Spikers head coach Roger Gorayeb admitted he was surprised with his team’s excellent performance, especially on the defensive end, against the reigning champions Angels.
“I expected to win today, but not in straight set, this Petro Gazz is a very tough team, halos dalawa import nila pero parang off sila ngayon at natiyempo naman sa amin,” Gorayeb said.
“Naging effective naman (ang preparation namin) kasi ang lakas ng depensa pati ako nagugulat, sobrang lakas ng depensa namin. And last game, we were struggling sa counter attack namin, pero this game hindi kami nag struggle,” he added.
Meanwhile, Akari Power Chargers bounced back from two sets down to pull off a 18-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13 reverse sweep victory over the favored Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
Oly Okaro waxed hot with 38 points, built on 33 attacks, three service aces, and two blocks, as the Power Chargers moved to a share of top spot in Pool B with 2-0 win-loss slate. The Flying Titans dropped to 0-2.
Venezuelan import MJ Perez, on the other hand, tallied 30 points as Cignal HD Spikers prevailed over the Thunderbelles, 25-18, 29-27, 21-25, 25-22, to remain undefeated in two games./PN
