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Pocari Sweat completes comeback for V-League crown

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src=" http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/7/18/pocari-sweat-071816.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">The Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors pose for a team photo after bagging the 13th V-League Open Conference championship. Richard Esguerra, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/vleague/news/2016/07/18/pocari-sweet-lady-warriors-v-league-open-conference-13446">ABS-CBN Sports</a></div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) The Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors cemented their status as the &quot;Comeback Queens&quot; of the V-League after defeating the Air Force Lady Jet Spikers in four sets to win the Season 13 Open Conference championship at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Monday.The Lady Warriors had to battle from a huge deficit in the first set and dropped the second set, but took charge in the third and fourth en route to a 29-27, 18-25, 25-21, 25-19 in the winner-takes-all Game 3 of the best-of-three Finals series.Pocari Sweat thus completed a comeback from a 0-1 hole, having lost to Air Force in the series opener last week before forcing a decider with a four-set win in Game 2 last Saturday.&quot;Sobrang saya, kasi as a group, first time namin eh,&quot; said Pocari coach Rommel Abella after the game. &quot;First time namin nag-champion. Speechless, ang saya talaga. Masarap ang feeling, para kang nasa cloud nine.&quot;It marked the second straight series that Pocari had to battle back from a 0-1 deficit before winning. They also trailed in their best-of-three semifinals series against Bali Pure before taking the next two games to earn a Finals berth.Myla Pablo led all scorers with 23 points on 21 attacks, igniting Pocari&#x27;s comeback in the first set, and earned Finals MVP honors. Elaine Kasilag added 15 points and nine digs, while skipper Michele Gumabao had 12 points including two of Pocari&#x27;s 10 kill blocks.However, it was veteran setter Gyselle Sy who took charge in the final moments, scoring on a 1-2 play to set up match point then serving up an ace to secure the championship for the Lady Warriors. Sy finished with seven points on top of 51 excellent sets.(READ: <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/vleague/news/2016/07/18/a-man-called-shok-v-league-vis-staff-13431" target="_blank">A man called Shok &amp; the V-League VIS staff</a>) <div>Slow start anew</div>Air Force, buoyed by a vocal contingent, raced to a 17-9 advantage in the opening set as Pocari Sweat again found itself mired in a slow start that had plagued them all throughout the season.But behind the combined efforts of Pablo and Gumabao, as well as several unforced errors from the Jet Spikers, the Lady Warriors slowly but surely clawed their way back into the set. They reached set point first, 24-23, after Pablo smashed a kill from the middle off a combination play, and the two squads exchanged points until Air Force reached set point, 27-26, after Joy Cases caught Pocari off guard with a spike.Cases, however, committed a service error, and Judy Caballejo – who struggled all throughout the Finals series – sent an attack wide, allowing Elaine Kasilag to power an attack off the Air Force blockers to complete the marathon opening set that lasted 33 minutes.&quot;Noong first set, sabi ko lang sa mga players namin na we have to keep fighting, kahit gaano kalaki &#x27;yung lamang. Hindi kami pwedeng sumuko eh,&quot; said Abella, who admitted that they simply wanted to close the gap and enter the second set with the momentum. &quot;Good thing, nag-tuloy-tuloy ang momentum namin and nanalo kami ng first set.&quot;The Lady Warriors, however, could not sustain their charge in the second frame. Air Force raced to a 20-9 advantage, getting contributions from nearly every one, while Pocari&#x27;s service reception fell apart.Pocari threatened late, coming to within five points, 18-23, thanks to the steady serving of Sy, but an offspeed attack by Caballejo and a drop ball by setter Wendy Semana allowed Air Force to tie the match.The Lady Warriors took control of the next two frames, however, with Pablo, Kasilag and Gumabao taking turns powering through the Air Force defense, while Luth Malaluan and Siemens Dadang stepped up their defense at the net as well.It did not help that Air Force started committing unforced errors anew. It was a service error by Jocemer Tapic that gave Pocari the third set, 25-21, after they had saved three set points.Air Force briefly took an 11-10 lead in the fourth frame off a Cases kill, but a 6-2 blast put Pocari on top, 16-13, heading into the second technical timeout, and the Lady Warriors never looked back.<div>&#x27;Comeback Queens&#x27;</div>For Abella, their championship allowed the Lady Warriors to prove that they truly deserve the moniker of &quot;Comeback Queens&quot; of the league.&quot;Prior to the game, kinausap ko &#x27;yung mga players sa dugout,&quot; said Abella. &quot;Sabi ko, since nandito na tayo, do-or-die game na naman, at nabansagan na rin naman sila na Comeback Queens, sabi ko, patunayan na natin.&quot;&quot;Galing tayo sa 0-1 sa series, patunayan na natin na Comeback Queens talaga kayo at i-prove sa mga tao na kaya natin manalo,&quot; he added.Several players stepped up for Abella but it was Pablo who stood tallest, overwhelming Air Force with her power and sharp attacks.&quot;From the start naman, s&#x27;ya talaga ang No. 1 spiker namin,&quot; Abella said of Pablo. &quot;But going to the semis, iba &#x27;yung fire na nakita namin sa kanya. No let-up s&#x27;ya pagdating sa laro.&quot;It was a sorry loss for the Lady Jet Spikers, who were aiming for a championship double after their men&#x27;s team had won the Spikers&#x27; Turf crown.The two teams had the same number of attacks – 53 – and Air Force had more aces, 10-8, but the Lady Warriors doubled up on the Jet Spikers in terms of blocks, 10-5, and had fewer unforced errors, 24-26.Cases finished with 20 points for Air Force, while Tapic and May Pantino each scored 13. Semana, named the conference&#x27;s Best Setter, had 57 excellent sets along with three points, but Caballejo was limited to only eight markers.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

The Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors completed a comeback from a 0-1 series deficit as they outlasted the Air Force Lady Jet Spikers in four sets in the winner-takes-all Game 3 of the V-League Season 13 Open Conference Finals on Monday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Pocari Sweat completes comeback for V-League crown

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Pocari Sweat completes comeback for V-League crown

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 18, 2016 08:43 PM PHT

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Updated July 19, 2016 01:20 AM PHT

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