F2 Logistics turned from a fumbling unit into one solid crew, upending fancied and erstwhile unbeaten defending champion Creamline in a thriller of a finish, 23-25, 25-18, 16-25, 25-23, 16-14, on Saturday in the Premier Volleyball League All Filipino Conference elims at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
In a duel that had all the trimmings of a championship match, the Cargo Movers snatched victory in the jaws of defeat, battling from a huge deficit late in the fourth and rallying from three down in the decider to pull off the highly-emotional victory that tied them with their victims at second with 3-1 slates.
Chery Tiggo thus remained the lone unbeaten squad with a 3-0 mark.
Unable to match the Cool Smashers’ vaunted firepower, the Cargo Movers leaned on their defense upfront as Aby Marano and Kim Dy foiled Ced Domingo and Tots Carlos, respectively, as F2 grabbed the lead and moved at match point, 15-14.
Then Ivy Lacsina delivered the clincher in an anti-climactic fashion, launching a service that sailed and looked wide but landed just inside the Cool Smashers’ Zone 1, triggering a frenzied celebration from the F2 Logistics’ camp and their supporters from the more than 6,700 fans who witnessed the birth of a new league rivalry.
Myla Pablo came away with a superb 27-point explosion after a nine-point output in their straight-set loss to the Chery Tiggo Crossovers the last time out, while Dy, Marano, Lacsina, Ara Galang, Kim Fajardo, Dawn Macandili and the entire F2 bench never lost hope even they when they were down by three points in the fourth.
Marano finished with 14 points in one of her most explosive performances in a long while, Dy added 11 points, the bulk of which she made when Pablo moved to the backrow, and Galang and Lacsina combined for 15 points.
Carlos led Creamline with 21 points while Jema Galanza had 18 hits and Michele Gumabao and Pangs Panaga each fired 14 points. But the Cool Smashers failed to finish off the Cargo Movers after storming to a 13-10 lead in the fifth on back-to-back attack errors.
It was all redemption for the Cargo Movers, who came into the match reeling from a stinging shutout loss to the Crossovers last Thursday following a five-set escape over the PLDT High Speed Hitters and a sweep of the Akari Chargers where Myla Pablo struggled for just nine points, and the rest groped for form in offense and defense.
But the former Petro Gazz top hitter poured in 12 points right in the first frame and though the Cargo Movers dropped it after blowing a late lead, they bounced back strong in the next, breaking away from another tight battle of power hits, quick, 1-2 and combo plays and spectacular digs.
For Dy, Lacsina, Maraño, Galang and Fajardo stepped up big and Macandili anchored their defense with her excellent digs as they pulled away to deal the Cool Smashers their first set loss after storming past the Angels, Cignal HD Spikers and the Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
