Having had very little success in previous conferences of the Philippine Superliga, the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers find themselves the decisive underdog in Group A of the 2018 Chooks-To-Go Invitational Cup.
Flocked with former champions Petron Blaze Spikers, Foton Tornadoes, and F2 Logistics Cargo Movers, the Lifesavers seemed doomed to sink to another forgettable conference.
Instead, they have thrived.
After schooling the young UP-UAI Lady Maroons, Generika-Ayala scored a huge win over the Tornadoes to stay undefeated.
Generika-Ayala head coach Sherwin Meneses lauded his team’s heart and defensive grit in the face of much taller opponents.
“Talagang kapag tinignan mo ‘yung Foton, ang tatangkad eh. Kaso nga, sabi ko nasa amin naman ang mga best receivers eh. So, mauuna ang receive bago sa palo so nag-response lang ang mga players,” said Meneses, late Tuesday night.
Perhaps no Lifesaver better personifies Generika’s heart-over-height mantra more than Bang Pineda. The diminutive former Adamson Lady Falcon topped the Lifesavers with 20 points against Foton.
Pineda has always been known to topple players much taller than her, something she knows her current team also embodies.
“Pinaghirapan naman namin ‘yun nag-start sa training tas inaral namin talaga sila since yun nga malalaki sila and ni-remind lang kami nung mga coaches na ‘wag kami ma-intimidate kasi nga malalaki sila,” Pineda shared.
“Hindi kami maka-block since maliliit kami kaya kailangan namin dumepensa.”
With matches against Petron and F2 Logistics left, the Lifesavers are hopeful for more upsets to clinch a semis seat.
“Sabi ko rin sa kanila kasi nasa group of death tayo so kuha tayo ng panalo hangga’t kaya nating manalo,” Meneses expressed. “So far okay pa naman kasi F2 ang kalaban namin (sa susunod) wala silang second stringer doon eh, solid ang team na ‘yun so paghahandaan namin, malay natin bilog ang bola.
“Kaya naman maka-upset kasi sabi ko nga masisipag naman ang mga players.”
