ZUS COFFEE IN WINNING START

ZUS Coffee carved out a gritty 24-26, 25-23, 17-25, 26-24, 15-7 victory over Akari in the kickoff of the PVL Reinforced Conference at the Ynares Center in Montalban, Rizal beset by a league issue with the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.

- By JOEY VILLAR

The PVL-PNVF clash resulted to the Reinforced Conference opening minus the supposed imports.

In what became an all-Filipino duel, the Thunderbelles emerged triumphant versus the Chargers in a five-setter with Riza Nogales leading the way for the winning team with 15 points.

Also coming through were Jovelyn Gonzaga and Chinnie Arroyo, who each fired 14 hits while Fiona Ceballos, Kate Santiago and Alexis Miner contributed 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

In the deciding set, it was the Thunderbelles who surged with poise and precision, orchestrating a decisive 7-0 closing run to turn a shaky 8-7 edge into a runaway win.