After defeating Galeries in straight sets, the Lady Foxies repeated the same story against the Thunderbelles to make it twice as nice.
Farm Fresh displayed their fine form once more with a 25–14, 25–18, 25–18 rout of ZUS Coffee to nab their second straight win at FilOil Centre on February 21 in the PVL All-Filipino Conference (PVL-AFC) preliminaries.
The Foxies pulled ahead as they benefited from Trisha Tubu offensive spree and an off-the-ball Mylene Paat play to jumpstart a 23–16 buffer in the third set.
It was all Farm Fresh from thereon after halting Renee Peñafiel and Riza Nogales’ combined two-point run with Ara Galang’s decisive spike to push through.
“I have a request to the players. They need more stoic play. Change their mind, change their character. If they can’t change their mind, it’s impossible to be in the top four. I don’t know about the next game, but today was good,” Farm Fresh coach Koji Tsuzurabara said.
Tubu and Jolina Dela Cruz topscored for the Lady Foxies with 16 and 13 points, respectively as they evened their record at 2–2, while ZUS Coffee settled at 1–4.
Farm Fresh continued their earlier upswing in the third, sparking an initial 13–7 cushion that widened into 17–10 through Tubu’s back-to-back cross-court assaults.
Their surge extended the lead at 22–14 after a Maria De Guzman’s ace; while ZUS Coffee scrambled in their defenses as they failed to swat Paat’s attacks.
Yet, the Thunderbelles attempted to prolong the affair with a 2–0 spurt, only for Galang to drill a key assault that secured the Foxies’ dominant victory.
But one team also made their mark.
Meanwhile, the Creamline Cool Smashers banked on Jema Galanza’s late burst as they notched their third triumph at Capital1’s expense, 25–18, 26–24, 25–20, on the same day.
Galanza led Creamline’s uprising, cutting their 17–23 second-set trail over the Solar Spikers with an 8–1 rally as she scored three of those through her attacks.
She gradually sustained her heroics in the final sequence as the Cool Smashers weathered a 13–9 deficit thanks to the former’s multiple offensives.
Creamline then maintained their momentum, converting each coordinated play into easy points in the closing stretch to snag the straight-set win.
"Trinabaho talaga namin isa-isa, na 'pag may sitwasyon na pinractice namin, mag-stick kami sa game plan, and buti na lang nakadikit kami at nalaban namin hanggang dulo sa second set," Jia de Guzman said.
The Cool Smashers now improved their score at 3–1 following their prior beating of ZUS Coffee in four sets, while Capital1 absorbed their third loss at 2–3.
Galanza chipped in 13 points, 10 excellent receptions and five excellent digs while Diana Carlos and Bernadette Pons reeled off 15 and 14 markers, correspondingly.
The two rosters eye for more victories in the PVL All-Filipino Conference preliminary rounds.
Written by Vince Garcia, Insight PH
Vince Garcia, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
