Kurashiki steps up finals drive, pushes Cignal to the brink

Kurashiki of Japan took it up a notch after a scrambling yet triumphant Premier Volleyball League debut, blasting Cignal with its quick transition plays and efficient hitting for a 25-23, 25-16, 25-23 victory that firmed up its hold of second place in the semifinal round of the Invitational Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Monday.

Asaka Tamaru, who marked her first overseas campaign with an explosive 29-hit blast in a 23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-11 win over Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh of Vietnam last Saturday, finished with 16 points but a couple of teammates who didn’t suit up the first time out delivered and helped anchor the visiting squad’s one-hour, 24-minute romp.

Coach Hideo Suzuki did put one over counterpart Shaq delos Santos and the rest of the Cignal coaching staff as he kept skipper and playmaker Kyoka Ohshima and Saki Tanabe Saki out of their match against the Vietnamese, perhaps, to avoid being scouted.

But Suzuki said Ohshima was not yet in top condition Saturday but suited up against the HD Spikers in a match she described as “important.”

Ohshima, also playing in her first overseas game, finished with 22 excellent sets and three points to clinch the game’s top honors while Tanabe provided key hits to end up with six markers in a two-set stint.

“Happy and super enjoy,” said Ohshima, adding she also relished playing before a big number of fans.

“We felt Cignal’s offense is strong so we focused on defense and it was a good game,” said Suzuki, whose wards hiked their record to 2-0 card, just behind the unbeaten defending champion Creamline (3-0), whom the Japanese will meet in the final semis playdate on Friday.

While Kurashiki and Cignal fought it out practically on even terms in other scoring skills, the former’s overwhelming advantage in spikes, 51-33, spelled the difference.

The HD Spikers, who gave up 20 points on miscues, had four blocks against the Ablaze’s three and made two aces against their rivals one. Kurashiki also yielded 23 points on unforced errors, including four to start the match.

Saya Taniguchi added 11 points after a 10-point outing against Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh while Yukino Yano settled for 10 points, seven less than she dished out against the Vietnamese.

The HD Spikers, who in a stretch had appeared to be a strong title contender with a run of 3-0 romps until they ran into a tougher Creamline side and lost in five sets over the weekend, fell to 1-3 and on the brink of elimination in the finals race.

Ces Molina fired 12 points but Rachel Anne Daquis’ five points proved to be the next best score for the HD Spikers, who, after dropping the first two sets, came out strong in the third. But the Ablaze worked they back into the game, and like in the opening frame, they outwitted and outlasted the former in a stretch-run battle, aided by Jacqueline Acuna's attack error in the end.

Riri Meneses, Chay Troncoso and Acuna finished with four points apiece while Rose Doria and Jovelyn Gonzaga struggled with identical three points, the same output put in by Chin Basas.

The Ablaze riveted a foul-up start of four miscues by re-grouping, starting with their floor defense that led to a number of scoring opportunities as their wing attackers flourished and the visiting squad outfoxed the HD Spikers in a furious endgame battle in the opening set.

That set the tone for the rout as the Japanese cranked up their assault in the next frame, finding holes in Cignal’s blocking patterns with the bench also stepping up to help build a couple of nine-point buffers, the last at 23-14 on a Saya ace, and anchoring their runaway win.