Pocari’s Maddie Palmer (2) powered the Lady Warrios past BanKo-Perlas in five sets. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA — Pocari-Air Force bucked the absence of local ace Myla Pablo and turned back BanKo-Perlas, 25-22, 17-25, 16-25, 26-24, 15-11, to zero in on third place honors in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the MOA Arena in Pasay on Sunday afternoon.

Maddie Palmer unloaded 22 attack points, the last three giving the Lady Warriors a 12-9 cushion in the fifth before Arielle Love took over with back-to-back hits and Elaine Kasilag finished off the rallying Perlas Spikers with a dump at the start of their best-of-three series for third in the season-opening conference of the league.

Palmer also delivered two aces for a 24-hit output while Love and a slew of locals also stepped up for the dethroned champions, who lost Pablo to injury before the start of their sudden death for the first finals berth with the Creamline Cool Smashers last Friday.

But the Lady Warriors still lived up to their name, fighting back from 1-2 set down and recovering from a late fourth-set meltdown before holding sway in the fifth to steal the victory from the Spikers.

“We’re disappointed of not being able to make it to the finals but we stayed focused on this game,” said Palmer.

Pocari nearly blew a 24-21 edge in the fourth as BanKo-Perlas, with Kia Bright on the attack, scored three straight points to extend the match. But an Amy Ahomiro service error and a Del Palomata quick hit sent the match into a deciding fifth.

The Lady Warriors came up with back-to-back kill blocks off Bright to take early control in the decider, padded their lead to 9-5 on a Kasilag ace then withstood the Spikers’ fightback of three straight hits that put them back within one.

Palmer hammered in three hits against Jutarat Montripila’s off-the-block point and Love scored on a kill and a push to neutralize Ahomiro’s two points before Kasilag came through with that dink after a brief rally to complete their come-from-behind triumph.

They go for the clincher on Wednesday, also at the MOA Arena.

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