ZUS Coffee finally has a win. The Thunderbelles rallied from two sets down to stun Galeries Tower in five sets, snapping a five-game losing streak at the Smart Araneta Coliseum late Tuesday night, November 10.

The 17-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-12 victory in the PVL All Filipino Conference Siklab Series came too late to save the Thunderbelles’ semifinal bid. It also eliminated the Highrisers from Final Four contention.

Thunderbelles Erase Two-Set Deficit

ZUS Coffee lost the first two sets, then won the next two to force a decider against a Galeries Tower side fresh from a five-set escape against Akari. The Thunderbelles had lost their previous two matches in five sets.

The Thunderbelles built a 17-5 lead in the fourth set and held on after Galeries Tower trimmed it to 19-22. The match was the 11th of the tournament to go the distance.

In the fifth, ZUS Coffee erased a 3-6 deficit with help from AC Miner, Chinnie Arroyo and Chai Troncoso to tie it at 7. Another Troncoso hit gave the Thunderbelles the lead, and they stretched it to three points.

Jolina dela Cruz joined the finishing charge, and two Highrisers errors set up match point at 14-10. Lycha Ebon cut the gap to two, but Kate Santiago ended the match after two hours, 22 minutes.

Troncoso Leads ZUS Coffee Pride

Troncoso finished with 13 points and 21 excellent digs and earned Best Player of the Game honors. She said the Thunderbelles did not want to finish winless and will keep fighting in their remaining games.

Miner led ZUS Coffee with 17 points, while dela Cruz added 10, Alyanna Ong nine and Santiago eight. The Thunderbelles outblocked Galeries Tower 17-8, although the Highrisers held a 63-53 edge in attacks.

Jean Asis scored a career-high 27 points for Galeries Tower, with Erika Deloria adding 13 and Ebon 12. The loss dropped the Highrisers to 1-5 and ended their semifinal chances.