Criollas win in Caguas, retake lead over Leonas in LVSF Semifinal B.

Temi Thomas-Ailara led the Criollas’ attack with 15 points. (Heriberto Rosario Rosa / FPV)

By THE STAR STAFF

The Criollas of Caguas regained the lead in the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) Semifinal Series B on Tuesday night at Roger Mendoza Vidal Coliseum in Caguas, downing the Leonas of Ponce in straight sets in the third match of the series.

Match 4 of the best-of-seven will continue tonight at 8 at Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium in Ponce.

The set scores were 27-25, 25-21 and 25-18 as the Criollas took a 2-1 series lead.

The match was practically decided in the first set, when the Leonas were unable to hold onto a 17-11 lead following a block by Jenselyn Morales on Temi Thomas-Ailara of the Criollas. Caguas responded with a 9-3 run, which culminated in an offensive error by Ponce’s Sherridan Atkinson that tied the score at 20 points.

The final tie occurred at 25 points, and Caguas closed out the set thanks to two errors by Ponce: a failed attack by Claire Chaussee from Zone 4 and a double-contact violation called by head referee David Reyes.

In the subsequent two sets, the Criollas faced no major difficulties en route to the victory.

Caguas dominated in blocks (10-4) and aces (6-2). Both teams recorded 37 attacks, while Ponce led in digs (56-50), passes (39-30) and assists (27-9).

Thomas-Ailara (15 points), Diana Reyes (12), and Jenaisya Moore (10) led the way for the Criollas. Morales was the Leonas’ top performer with 10 points.

Section A semifinal overview

In the other semifinal, the series between Santurce and Juncos remained on hold early Wednesday while a motion for reconsideration filed by Santurce’s management was being evaluated after the tournament director, acting on a protest filed by the Valencianas, found that the Cangrejeras committed a player status infraction in last Friday’s second match. Santurce won the match in five sets to take a 2-0 series lead, but the ruling on the initial protest ordered the last two sets of the match replayed before continuing the series with the third match. The final ruling will be key in determining the schedule leading up to the finals.