Myla Pablo suffered a back injury midway through the second frame but the absence of one of the league’s top attractions did not stop defending champion Pocari Sweat from coming back from two-set down to beat BaliPure, 18-25, 21-25, 26-24, 27-25, 15-13, and gain at least a semis playoff in the Premier Volleyball League women’s tournament yesterday at The Arena in San Juan City.
Pocari had some anxious moments when Pablo had to be helped out after a bad landing following a crosscourt spike that knotted the count at 11-all.
Though they still the lost the set, Pablo’s absence somehow worked wonders for the Water Defenders as they rallied mightily to post their sixth straight win since a 0-2 start.
Pocari’s win likewise assured itself of playoff for the last semis berth while handing BaliPure its second defeat in six games.
The match also saw the first time that imports played in the league, with Edina Selimovic leading Pocari with 24 points built on 17 spikes and seven blocks.
In the men’s side, Air Force survived Army’s late challenge and eked out a 25-22, 25-20, 27-25 victory.
The Jet Spikers took a 24-22 lead but needed three more points to close out the match for a 2-1 record, tying Sta. Elena.