Heavyweights RC Cola-Army and F2 Logistics will try to forge a three-way tie at the ceiling when they clash with separate foes in the 2016 Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament today at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Lady Troopers will face Standard Insurance-Navy at 6 pm, while the Cargo Movers will test the mettle of Generika in the 6 pm encounter of this premier inter-club tournament bankrolled buy KLab Cyscorpions, Asics, Grand Sports, Mikasa, Mueller and Senoh, with TV5 as official broadcaster partner.
RC Cola-Army and F2 Logistics are tied at the second spot with 2-0 win-loss card, while Petron took the top spot following a straight-set conquest of struggling Cignal late Tuesday; 25-14, 25-13, 25-27.
Arguably the most fluid squad in the league after winning the Invitational Cup title in the pre-season, the Lady Troopers are living up to their pre-tournament billing as the team to beat, thanks to their strong attacks and airtight net defense.
The Lady Troopers opened their campaign with a straight-sets smothering of the young Amy’s Kitchen side, followed by another straight-sets crushing of Cignal over the weekend. It prompted their coach, Kungfu Reyes, to declare that they have already regained their old and deadly form following a long break.
“So far, I like what I’m seeing,” said Reyes, the chief deputy when Army won three straight PSL titles. “Our attacks are getting stronger, our defense is getting tighter. I like where we are now and I like where we’re headed.”
But Reyes can’t afford to be complacent as the Corvettes – their main rival in the annual AFP Olympics – are eager to make a strong statement and capture their first victory.
Despite opening their campaign on a sour note with a 26-28, 28-26, 20-25, 19-25 setback to Generika, Standard Insurance-Navy delivered a lot of promise, with the veteran core of Pau Soriano, Nori Jane Diaz and Lilet Mabbayad carrying the fight.
“We’re very familiar with Army; we just have to match their intensity if we want to pull an upset,” said Standard Insurance-Navy coach Nene Ybanez-Chavez, who served as the cornerstone of the team that last won the gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in 1993.
