Pre-season favorites Petron Tri-Activ Spikers and RC Cola-Army Lady Troopers will gun for a share of the early lead in the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
The Tri-Activ Spikers will raise the curtain when they battle Generika at 2:00 pm, while the Lady Troopers clash with Cignal at 4:00 pm.
After rousing debuts, Petron and RC Cola-Army are tied at the second spot with 1-0 records, a half game behind the De La Salle University-powered F2 Logistics, who smothered Cignal in the opener and dominated Amy’s in three sets late Thursday for a 2-0 win-loss slate.
Although the Tri-Activ Spikers have lost the core of Dindin Manabat, Rachel Anne Daquis and Aby Marano, they remain explosive, having acquired Far Eastern University stalwarts Bernadeth Pons and Remy Palma following the recruitment of CJ Rosario, Bang Pineda, and veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.
Petron’s off-season moves paid a handsome reward as Pons and Palma dazzled, while Maizo-Pontillas peppered the Tornadoes with hot smashes from the opposite en route to a game-high 16 points during their opening-day victory over Foton.
But Petron’s resolve will be put to an ultimate test as it faces a young and hungry Generika side.
Featuring rising stars Chloe Cortez, Shaya Adorador, Gen Casugod, and Wensh Tiu, with veteran playmaker Rubie de Leon at the helm, the Lifesavers displayed nerves of steel by dominating Standard Insurance-Navy in four sets. Though they surrendered a thrilling 11-25, 25-22, 24-26, 21-25 setback to Foton late Thursday, Lifesavers coach Francis Vicente still likes what he saw.
“I love the intensity and energy of the team,” said Vicente, who steered Philips Gold to a pair of second runner-up finishes last year. “They are young, hungry and aggressive. We just have to stay together and continue our fighting stance. This is a good start.”
Also expected to be the toast of the large weekend crowd is the battle between RC Cola-Army and Cignal.
The Lady Troopers are coming from a three-set demolition of Amy’s, while Cignal are still licking their wounds from their four-set loss to the Cargo Movers.
RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Reyes said they are planning to go all-out against the HD Spikers to brush off the rust on his veteran-laden squad.
“We have to switch our game a notch higher,” said Reyes, who will bank on seasoned setter Tina Salak as well as Honey Royse Tubino, Jovelyn Gonzaga, and Daquis once again. “I’m not satisfied with how we performed against Amy’s. I feel that we still have something to show. Cignal is such a dangerous team. We have to be careful.”
Cignal’s rag-tag group of NCAA and UAAP stars sputtered against favorites F2 Logistics. Having to face another title contender in Army, Cignal head coach Sammy “The Drill Master” Acaylar was left to rue his tough early schedule.
“The team needs to adjust and get better chemistry,” said Acaylar. “We can only do so much in practice – a lot of things need to be ironed out in games. That’s going to be tough when we have to face strong teams earlg in the season but we just have to deal with the cards we’ve been dealt with.”
Former FEU star Cherry Mar Vivas towed the HD Spikers against F2 with 13 points but was the lone double-digit scorer. They will need more offense from other wingers Janine Navarro, Carmela Tunay and Grace Berte. Middle hitter tandem Jeanette Panaga and veteran Micmic Laborte will also need to continue their splendid job of roaming the net.
