Marian Buitre presided over the Lady Maroons’ stirring fightback from 12-18 down in the fourth with torrid spiking that netted them nine unanswered points, then the veteran hitter sealed a closing 4-1 binge with an off-the-block kill to finish off the Lady Falcons. Isa Molde added nine markers and 11 digs for UP. The Lady Falcons, so impressive in the elims, struggled against the Lady Maroons gutsy stand right in the opening frame, blowing a couple of set points before clinching the win. But the Diliman-based spikers rode the momentum of their late first set charge and took the next two sets, then foiled the Lady Falcons’ bid to force a decider with that fiery comeback that spoke well of the character of the team. Bernadette Flora scored 20 hits while Eli Soyud and Le-Anne Perez added 16 and 11 points, respectively, for the Lady Falcons, who vowed to strike back in Game Two and force a decider.

Source: Manila Times August 29, 2018 16:29 UTC