A Crazy Finish to A Great Game

When a game is as frantic as last Saturday’s Cignal HD Spikers vs Cocolife Asset Managers, one has got to wonder, what really happend that made Coach Moro and the Asset Managers, according to reports, put the game on protest. Here are my insights.

As the 5th set was as intense as the first 4 sets, some calls were made that made Cocolife very frustrated. Lets look as some calls.

With the Asset Managers in the lead 6-2, Cignal’s Roslyn Doria hit the ball and was blocked by Cocolife’s Arriana Angustia but a call by the referee stating Angustia made a net touch thus giving the score to Cignal that made Coach Moro furious causing him getting a yellow card. But replays show a different call that makes sense for Coach Moro. Take a look.

As you can see Doria’s right hand clearly hit the net first thus making contact to Angustia’s hand. In that case making a net touch violation call on Doria and not on Angustia, but the call stands, Cignal getting the point. Next play is a very crtitical call that can be called either way, here is the play.

Angustia is on the service line making a servea and ending on the outside and was called an OUT in favor of Cignal but a different shot made a case that Cocolife is complaining about, here it is.

You be the judge of the call. In or out??? Another play where the Asset Managers’ Assistant Coach Josh Ylaya was assesed a yellow card. Gyra Barroga, Cocolife’s Open Spiker, hit the ball to the net and hit the blocker from Cignal Acy Masangkay thus falling outside, score for the Asset Managers on an out but Rachel Ann Daquis, HD Spikers Skipper, made a case that it should not have been Out
called on Cignal but an Out called on Cocolife as it did not hit Acy. Lets take a look.

Clearly Barroga hit the ball through the net but whats making a confusion to everyone isndid Masangkay hit the ball going out? And is it right for a 1st referee to change the call even if he is sure of his initial call? Clearly it happend infront of the referee thus making him have clear vision of what transpired. It clearly created chaos on the game as It ended with a 17-15 final score. According to reports, Marge Tejada, Cocolife’s Team Captain did not sign the score sheet thus putting the game on protest.

Most of the players from both teams aired their sentiments of the game. Denden Lazaro posted this after the game.

With those critical calls, fans are clamoring for the challenge system to be brought back to further strengthen the sport and for the referees realize the calls that can make them grow as an official. But for now let us wait as we await the word from PSL Comissioner Doc Ian Laurel on the reported protest by Cocolife. In PSL’s term, “Iba ang Laro Dito”, ibang iba ang laro dito.