Criollas, Cangrejeras kick off LVSF quarterfinals with wins.

Genesis Collazo, right, led a balanced Caguas attack with 18 points. (Heriberto Rosario Rosa)

By THE STAR STAFF

The Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) quarterfinals got off to a flying start for the defending champions, the Criollas of Caguas, and the runners-up, the Cangrejeras of Santurce, with both teams scoring victories at home against their respective opponents to open the postseason.

Criollas rally to win Section B opener in 5 sets

At Roger Mendoza Coliseum in Caguas, the Criollas came back from a 2-1 deficit in sets and forced a deciding fifth set after withstanding a strong push from the Atenienses of Manatí in the fourth frame.

Manatí tied the score at 23 in the fourth set with a spike by Emily Elliot from Zone 2, but Caguas responded with two consecutive points: an attack by Genesis Collazo from Zone 2, followed by another from Mylei Vargas-Deason, from Zone 4, that caromed off the hands of the Manatí block.

In the fifth set, Caguas pulled away to a 9-5 lead, but the Atenienses used a 5-0 run to briefly hold a slim advantage. The final tie occurred at 12 points, and from there the Criollas scored three straight points to close it out: a ball secured by Diana Reyes at the net, a shared block by Reyes and Alexandra Sczech against Karla Santos, and a final ball secured by Sczech to seal the home victory.

The set scores were 25-20, 16-25, 22-25, 25-23 and 15-12.

The Criolla offense was distributed among Collazo with 18 points, followed by Jenaisya Moore with 17 points, Reyes with 13 and Sczech with 10.

Elliot led the Manatí offense with 27 points, followed by Santos with 19 points, Shaylee Myers with 13, and Elise Goetzinger with 11.

In team statistics, Caguas dominated in passing (56-54), while Manatí was superior in attacks (66-65), blocks (14-13), service aces (4-1), digs (91-90) and assists (21-18).

The Section B quarterfinals continue on Tuesday when the Atenienses host the Leonas of Ponce at Juan Aubín Cruz Coliseum, starting at 8:30 p.m.

Cangrejeras start slow, then pound Pinkin in Section A opener

At Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey, the Cangrejeras displayed their regular-season form after dropping the first set and opened the quarterfinals with a solid 3-1 victory over the Pinkin of Corozal.

The set scores were 20-25, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-14.

The Section A quarterfinals continue on Wednesday, when the Valencianas of Juncos visit the Cangrejeras at the Clemente, starting at 8:12 p.m.

Quarterfinals format

The quarterfinals feature the six teams that participated in the regular season, divided into two groups of three based on their final standings. 

Section A: Cangrejeras of Santurce (1st place), Pinkin of Corozal (3rd place), Valencianas of Juncos (6th place).

Section B: Criollas of Caguas (2nd place), Leonas of Ponce (4th place; Atenienses of Manatí (5th place).