Looking to salvage their season, the Generika Lifesavers kept the Amy’s Kitchen Spikers winless with a four-set triumph, 21-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-14, in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Cup at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.
Generika opposite hitter Chloe Cortez led all scorers with 21 points, while middle hitter Geneveve Casugod and setter Rubie De Leon tallied nine markers each.
The win gave Generika a spot in the battle for fifth place, where they will face the winner of the Standard Insurance-Cignal match on Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Centre. Amy’s will face the loser of Saturday’s tiff for seventh place. Both classification matches will take place on Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
“Ang naging sakit ng team ko is the usual – sa service. Masyadong maraming service errors tapos hindi pa maexecute yung type ng serving na nasa gameplan namin. It’s a good thing na nakarecover kami noong dulo,” said Generika head coach Francis Vicente.
Generika looked poised to take the first set after taking a late 19-16 lead. But the Lifesavers’ service errors halted their momentum, allowing Amy’s to crawl back into the match. Sparked by three straight Generika errors, the Spikers bolted ahead, 24-20, and closed the set out with a smash from Renalyn Raterta.
But the Lifesavers turned the second set into a romp, befuddling Amy’s with strong serves and quick transitions. Generika built a 19-11 lead, holding the advantage until the end of the set. The third set saw the Lifesavers nearly slip, falling behind 19-23 after a string of errors. Luckily, service specialist Yna Pagdanganan came through, scoring two aces in a fantastic spell of serving that powered Generika’s set-clinching, 6-0 blaze.
Deflated, the Spikers barely put up a fight in the fourth set, allowing Generika to sprint to a 20-11 lead that sealed the match.
“Lumabas din ‘yung pagkabata ng team ko. Sa team, dalawa lang naman din ang beterano ko. The rest galing na ng college. So like Amy’s, may immaturity pa. Nadadala lang talaga kami ng ceterans namin in the end,” Vicente furthered.
Amy’s team captain Cindy Imbo powered home 11 points, while towering Lourdes Clemente managed 10 markers.
The Scores
Generika (3) – Cortez 21, De Leon 9, Casugod 9, Adorador 7, Meneses 7, Tiu 3, Pagdangan 2, Cabanos 2, Macabalitao 1, Angustia 0, Rivera (L)
Amy’s Kitchen (1) – Imbo 11, Clemente 10, Rosal 8, Ratera 7, Bravo 5, Versoza 5, Estabislao 0, Gual 0, Sto. Domingo 0, Gayo (L), Medalla (L)