BaliPure: A character building win
by rick olivares
The BaliPure Purest Water
Defenders opened the PVL Open Conference account with a thrilling
come-from-behind five-set win over the Power Smashers (25-15, 22-25, 20-25,
25-19, 15-6) last Sunday July 2 at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
The game was once more a
microcosm of their Reinforced Conference where they lost in the finals.
BaliPure would race to take the first set, see their intensity drop, then
rally. Luckily, this time, they won. In the last conference, they fell in Games
One and Three after taking the opening frame.
It would be easy to say that the
five-set win over a deeper Power Smashers team is a character-building win. Sure
it is. However, the real character building games were the last finals because
that was for a title. The team has already proven they can compete. The
question is now – can they finish? Furthermore, this one – it’s good because a
win is a win but you have to be concerned with their staying power,
concentration, and nerve.
The operational word is “consistency”.
The Purest Water Defenders got very good games out of Grethcel Soltones, Risa
Sato, and Jerrili Malabanan. But that is what you want and expect of them. I
think the crucial contributions of Aiko Urdas (15 points) and Irish Oliveros (3
points) propelled them to victory.
This was that game where help
came from everywhere. Aside from the good play by liberos Lizlee Ann Pantone
and Alyssa Eroa, Jasmine Nabor played well setting-wise and scoring wise (she
finished with 8 points). Newcomer Abigail Noval played well in the spot duty
(third set) she was sent in for.
Now if only Jorelle Singh and
Macy Mendiola can help out.
It is good that team management
kept this team together although they need an additional piece here and there
to give them more options and weapons. They are still good enough to play for a
championship. The question really is their consistency.
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