Transformers, Water Defenders chase V-League semis slots

MANILA, Philippines - Customs and Bali Pure seek to book the last two slots in the semifinals as the two tackle Coast Guard and Laoag, respectively, today in the Shakey's V-League Season 13-Reinforced Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Transformers had a chance to barge into the best-of-three semis in their last outing but couldn't cash in on it following a stinging 22-25, 22-25, 14-25 setback to the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors Saturday.

The loss sent Customs sliding down from No. 2 to No. 4 but they could bounce back with a victory over Coast Guard, who are still winless in five outings, in their 4 p.m.

Alyssa Valdez, who leads the league in the MVP race being the best in scoring and serving, No. 2 in spiking and seventh in digs, is expected to help the Transformers bounce back from their loss to Pocari in which the former blew a 22-15 lead in the second set.

"We just lost focus in that game but I'm confident we could recover from it," said Customs coach Sherwin Meneses.

The Purest Water Defenders, for their part, have been on a tear as of late after racking up three straight victories including a 25-13, 25-23, 25-17 win over UP Saturday.

Bali Pure was a different team since it lost to Santo Tomas, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 13-25, on Oct. 5.

"We've put extra effort in improving our team chemistry and we're happy we're making progress," said Bali Pure skipper Charo Soriano.

A win by Customs and Bali Pure would seal it the final two semis berths and join UST (5-1) and Pocari (4-1).