Bacoor hacked out a 20-25, 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 15-3 win over Biñan Tatak Gel to stay within striking distance from league leaders in Round 2 of the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) Season 1 on Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Four players hit twin digits led by Cyrille Joie Alemeniana’s 21 points as the Strikers pummeled the Volley Angels in the deciding set with a 12-point gap to score the gritty win.

Alemeniana drew ample support from Winnie Bedania, Jemalyn Menor and Shaila Allaine Omipon with 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Bacoor that firmed up its grip on the third spot with an 8-2 slate of the nine-team league founded by also MPBL chairman and aspiring Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Bacoor last week bowed to previously unbeaten and pace-setting Quezon (10-1) but got back on track right away with a sweep of the second running Rizal (9-3).

There was no stopping Bacoor despite a sluggish start highlighted by a 15-3 finishing kick to re-assert mastery of the latter following a 3-0 win in the first round of the MPVA backed by Extreme One-Stop Shop Appliances, ASICS, Mikasa and Gerflor with MPTV and Outcomm as broadcast partners.

Bacoor was the champion of the first but shorter edition of the MPVA before the upstart volleyball league shifted to its first full home-and-away season this year, featuring an expansion of nine squads led by the impressive neophyte Quezon.

Quezon after an unbeaten start in nine games absorbed its first loss last week against Biñan, which however could not sustain the momentum versus Bacoor despite a strong start.

May Ann Nuique and Erika Jin Deloria showed the way with 16 points apiece for the Volley Angels, who slid to 6-5 at fourth place of the MPVA organized by the Volleyball Masters of the Philippines.