The semifinals picture for the 2017 PSL Invitational Cup is almost complete
The door of the semifinals remains slightly open for the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers to enter as it demolished the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors, 25-21, 25-13, 25-16, Saturday afternoon at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.
After a sluggish start, the Lifesavers waxed hot in the second and third sets to blast the Lady Realtors and improve its chances in the next round.
The Lifesavers now fashion a 2-2 win-loss card and a victory over unbeaten Petron in the final playing day of the elimination round on Thursday will give them a fighting chance to make it to the next round. Only the top three teams will advance to the semifinals.
“Although it would take a miracle for us to get in [the semifinals], we’re very optimistic we can make it,” said Generika-Ayala coach Francis Vicente. “Maganda ang inilalaro ng mga bata. Alam ko na gagawin nila para makapasok sa semis.”
Angeli Araneta spearheaded the attack as she finished with 11 kills and a block for 14 points while skipper Gen Casugod and Mikaela Lopez delivered nine markers apiece for the Lifesavers, who obviously banked on their vast experience in putting away the young Lady Realtors.
Generika-Ayala started out slow as Sta. Lucia knotted the count at 19 and threatened to steal the first set away.
But a pair of unforced errors followed by an ace from Casugod doomed the chances of the Lady Realtors, allowing the Lifesavers to book an easy 25-21 victory in the opening set.
It was all Generika-Ayala from there as Araneta and Casugod conspired to post a 20-12 lead in the second set en route to a 25-13 set win.
“We had a slow start,” admitted team skipper Araneta. “Nag-pick up lang kami nung second and third set. Naging maganda ang compsure namin at nagtuloy-tuloy na.”
Ranya Musa, Janine Navarro, and Rachel Austero tallied four markers apiece for Sta. Lucia, which remains at the bottom of the heap with a 0-4 mark.
The Cignal HD Spikers, on the other hand, grabbed the second semifinal slot as it clobbered the Cocolife Asset Managers, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16, in the second match.
Jovelyn Gonzaga paced the assault as she finished with 10 kills and two aces for 13 points while Honey Royse Tubino and Rachel Anne Daquis chipped in nine markers apiece for the HD Spikers, who joined idle Petron in the next round.
With that, only one semifinal seat is up for grabs with Generika-Ayala and Foton tipped to engage in a full-blown war to conquer it.
Jovielyn Prado served as the lone bright spot on offense as she finished with six markers for the Asset Managers, who will be relegated to the classification battle for 4th to 6th places after finishing the eliminations with 1-4 win-loss slate.
The Lifesavers will clash with unbeaten Blaze Spikers while Foton battles winless Sta. Lucia in the final day of eliminations on Thursday at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.
