LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Tublay sneaked past Itogon in the second set and prevented itself from going 0-3 in five set games Sunday in the Cong. Eric Go Yap Congressional Cup – Benguet Women’s Volleyball League at the Benguet Sports Complex here.
Maricar Pilay led an inspired Tublay six as she scored 17 points – 15 attack points and two service aces – in the nearly two hour 18-25, 27-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11 victory, their first win in five set games that included a heartbreak against Tuba and a reverse sweep set back against second ranked La Trinidad.
“We just wanted to end the heartaches of losing in five sets,” said the former Sablan player who was employed middle last year to help improve Tublay volleyball especially the women’s team.
“We survived this one,” she exclaimed after the five set that took 115 minutes or one hour and 55 minutes.
Pilay was even benched after trailing 17-22 in the first set as the team gave it up already to give her the much needed rest before plunging into second set action.
It appeared that it was the right decision as Tublay took an early 10-4 run. But then things turned to the worse as Itogon rallied to take a 22-18 lead. It now appears that Itogon will just roll on towards the win.
But Cherelyne Sabado had other things on her mind, with her serving, Tublay came back to tie the game at 24-all. A flustered Itogon lost the toss up in the next three exchanges as Tublay outscored the southern town girls 3-1 from there.
Tublay took the third by storm and it appeared that Pilay and company will march on to take the fourth set.
Then it was an Itogon show, Leading 8-1, Itogon appeared to have found the answer to the Tublay problem, but it was not so. Tublay slowly ate on Itogon’s lead, taking two points to move within 3-8. Itogon then went on to take its biggest lead at 16-7, but a 6-0 Tublay run cut the lead to a manageable three 16-13.
Tublay rallied to within one 17-18 but Itogon got a second wind and staged a 5-0 run to move within two from taking the fourth set, 23-17. Tublay won the next match, but Itogon answered with its own and move to set point, 24-18. A 5-0 run was Tublay’s answer as a response that it won’t just give up without fighting, 24-23.
Pilay, however, extended his booming spike well out of bounds that set up the fifth and final set.
It was then that Tublay woke up to take a 7-1 lead then at 8-2 moved to the other side of the court hoping to win seven more points and the victory.
But Itogon refused to give in to rally within two, 11-13, and that reminded Tublay of the heartbreak it suffered against Tuba earlier in the league. Leading 13-8, it wilted under pressure and allowed Tuba to end the game with a 7-0 run.
This time, Tublay won the next two exchanges for the victory.
“We were not able to receive allowing them to score at will at the service area,” said a limping Ivy Licuben, who twisted her ankle when she landed on the hand of a fallen team mate in the fifth set.
“Then our service left us, as we committed more errors in that department,” she added in the vernacular. Itogon had five service errors in each of the first three sets, improved to three in the fourth then a single in the fifth.
Overall, Itogon went to the service area once again to earn its keep like in the earlier part of the league, Lhyraine Barriento had 10 aces, five in the first set and four in the fifth as they rallied to give Tublay another scare.
Sabado and Ereich Dangbis added eight markers a piece as Tublay improved to 6-3 win-loss card just the same output as Tuba with Kabayan, Sablan and Buguias still beckoning them.
Their next match against Kabayan on January 22 is already a sure win, but against Sablan, Tublay appears to be scaling Mount Everest.
“Well I just hope that, against Sablan, we will play like we did today and maybe force a five set game and win,” said Pilay, whose team is practically the queens of five sets.
Tublay is eyeing the last spot in the top four for a twice to beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
“We just hope to win our last remaining games,” she added and that will result to a 9-3 card.
Tuba has an easier route to 9-3 – against Mankayan and Bakun and then the struggling Itogon in the last day of play in January 26.
The battle for the last spot has been left for Tublay and Tuba after the Itogon five set thriller and Itogon’s best finish will be sixth if it sweeps its last three games, against Buguias, Kabayan and Tuba for a 7-5 card.
Itogon can at least hold its head high if it wins over Buguias on Wednesday. Itogon had the biggest problem of attendance, a default against Kibungan when only five reported earlier in the league and the absence of players in most of its games especially of captain and top player Reynae Arances.
For the record, only Atok has won a five set thriller and against Bokod before the Christmas break last year. CEGYCC Release