Farm Fresh once again showed its remarkable staying power in marathon matches, overcoming a 1-2 set deficit to turn back ZUS Coffee, 25-21, 16-25, 21-25, 25-19, 15-10, and remain in the thick of the semifinal race in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Thursday.
Refusing to yield after surrendering the third set, the Foxies summoned their pride, poise and experience, seizing control early in the fourth with a telling 5-0 run before sustaining the pressure to force a deciding set. They then carried that momentum into the fifth, where they reasserted their authority behind their firepower and composure to seal the hard-earned victory in two hours and 10 minutes.
The comeback was another testament to Farm Fresh's resolve in a conference marked by grueling five-set battles. More than improving its record to 3-2 in a tie with Choco Mucho, the victory allowed the Foxies to keep their semifinal aspirations firmly on track while extending their peculiar loss-win-loss-win sequence in their last four outings – all of which went the full distance.
“Mas mahirap ang panalong ito kumpara sa mga nauna naming victories dahil pride ang nakataya, at alam naming ibinigay talaga ng ZUS Coffee ang best nila,” said Ces Molina, who delivered a triple-double performance of 18 points, 12 excellent digs and 17 receptions to lead the Foxies past the Thunderbelles.
“Alam namin kung gaano kahalaga ang larong ito as we move forward to our next games. Mas mabibigat pa ang mga susunod naming laban, kaya kailangan talaga naming makuha ang panalong ito,” she added, acknowledging the challenge posed by their sister team, which all but bowed out of the semifinal race with a 0-5 record.
The Foxies took command in the deciding set as the Thunderbelles buckled under pressure after surrendering the fourth set. Unable to match Farm Fresh's blistering start, ZUS Coffee watched the Foxies take eight of the first 11 points, fueled by Royse Tubino's power game.
Jovelyn Gonzaga, visibly exhausted, managed to hammer down a hit following a long, grueling rally to cut the deficit to 6-10. But the Foxies quickly responded with four straight points, capped by Riri Meneses' rejection of Riza Nogales, to move within a point of victory at 14-6.
Just when Farm Fresh appeared poised to wrap up the match and put the Thunderbelles away, however, ZUS Coffee mounted a late fightback, stringing together four consecutive points, the last coming off an AC Miner attack.
With the Foxies suddenly seeing their lead dwindle, coach Koji Tsuzurabara called a timeout to settle his players after they had squandered four match points. Molina then appeared to send an attack long after a couple of exchanges, seemingly giving the Thunderbelles another lifeline.
But Farm Fresh challenged the ball-in, ball-out call, and video review confirmed that the ball had landed just inside the baseline, awarding the point to the Foxies and bringing the two-hour, 10-minute encounter to an anti-climactic finish.
“Lahat ng teams ngayon patuloy na nag-i-improve, kaya kailangan consistent kami, laging focused at handa sa bawat laro,” said Molina, underscoring the growing competitiveness of the first of three conferences in the series.
Tubino spearheaded Farm Fresh's attack with 20 points, while Trisha Tubu chipped in 17 as the Foxies' vaunted three-pronged offensive attack once again came through, powering the team to a 67-59 advantage in attacks.
ZUS Coffee held the edge in a fierce blocking battle, 18-16, but Farm Fresh made up for it with a strong finishing kick to secure the victory. The Foxies, however, gave away 21 points on errors while benefiting from only 16 miscues by the Thunderbelles.
Miner led ZUS Coffee with 21 points, while Jolina dela Cruz and Zam Nolasco scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, and Kate Santiago and Gonzaga came off the bench to fire nine markers each.
The match was the eighth five-setter in 21 games in the conference, reinforcing the remarkably competitive and unpredictable nature of the tournament, where the gap between winning and losing remains razor-thin and every result carries enormous implications for the teams' semifinal campaigns.
The Foxies' latest escape came on the heels of a 2-3 defeat to Nxled, a five-set triumph over Choco Mucho and another marathon loss to Akari – an up-and-down stretch that further highlighted their capacity to compete but also the premium they must place on closing out tight matches.
For ZUS Coffee, however, it was another painful near-miss in its increasingly frustrating search for a breakthrough victory.
