Not wanting to end their surprising run on a sour note, the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers salvaged fifth place in the 2018 Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Invitational Cup after overwhelming the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors, 25-10, 24-26, 25-10, 25-18, at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.
Generika-Ayala, who were fresh off a disappointing quarterfinals loss to Smart Prepaid, were dominant in each set they fielded their starting rotation against Sta. Lucia.
Head coach Sherwin Meneses explained that it was difficult to prepare the Lifesavers for a classification, but he fully expected utmost professionalism from his wards.
“Hindi naman na si collegiate na medyo naninibago pa. Karamihan sa kanila may pinagdaan ng ganito,” said Meneses. “Ang goal naman kasi talaga ng team is pataasin nang paunti-unti ‘yung ranking namin bawat conference kaya importanta pa rin na maganda ang tapos namin dito.”
Open hitter Patty Orendain was unstoppable, propelling the Lifesavers with 23 points on an efficient 19-for-30 attacking clip. Angeli Araneta added 14 points while Fiolla Ceballos managed 13.
Generika-Ayala thoroughly exploited Sta. Lucia’s reception, tallying 17 service aces to the Lady Realtors’ three.
The Lifesavers finished a landmark season, in which they scored wins over powerhouse Foton and Petron, in fifth place.
Jonah Sabete tallied 10 points for the Lady Realtors, who play without leading scorer MJ Phillips. The Fil-American winger rested a nagging shoulder injury.
The Scores
Generika-Ayala (3) – Orendain 23, Araneta 14, Ceballos 13, Hingpit 7, Meneses 7, Pineda 6, Espinosa 5, Cerveza 3, Llagoso 1, Lavitoria 0, Arado (L), General (L)
Sta. Lucia (1) – Sabete 10, Lastimosa 9, Laborte 5, Villareal 5, Hernandez 4, Raslan 4, Baliton 2, De Leon 2, Rivera 1, Demontaño (L), Estoquia (L)
