Imus outdueled Iloilo in a battle of power, blocking, digs and guts in the decider and carved out a big 25-16, 23-25, 25-14, 22-25, 16-14 decision to enhance its semifinal drive in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the Paco Arena in Manila on Wednesday.
Hero Austria lived up to his name, delivering the hits that mattered most in the fifth as the AJAA Spikers outfoxed the D’Navigators in a back-and-forth, tense-filled encounter to pound the victory, their sixth against three losses.
More importantly, Imus halted Iloilo’s six-game run as the former stymied the latter’s own bid to close in on the second semis seat, leaving first semifinalist Cignal the only unbeaten squad in the 11-team cast.
Truly, the AJAA Spikers couldn’t sustain their big romps in the first two odd-numbered sets, enabling the D’Navigators to force a decider anchored on Jade Disquitado’s imposing game late in the fourth that saw him score three straight vicious kills to extend the match.
But the D’Navigators struggled in transition, particularly after Disquitado rotated at the back although they kept it close all throughout that set the stage for a thriller of a finish.
