Army shoots for solo lead in Superliga

Games Saturday:

(FilOil Flying V Center)

2 p.m. – Amy’s vs Petron

4 p.m. – Foton vs RC Cola-Army

6 p.m. – Cignal vs Generika

MANILA, Philippines – Surging RC Cola-Army guns for solo lead when it battles dangerous Foton in an explosive triple-header weekend schedule of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.

The Lady Troopers shoot for their fifth straight win at 4 p.m. following the 2 p.m. encounter between Petron and Amy’s in this prestigious inter-club tourney sponsored by KLab Cyscorpions, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Senoh with TV5 as official broadcaster.

Cignal, meanwhile, tries to stop the bleeding when it faces Generika in the nightcap at 6 p.m.

Said to be a team-to-beat for parading the core of NCAA champion College of Saint Benilde with veterans Michelle Laborte and Cherry Vivas at the helm, the HD Spikers sputtered in the early stretch of this tourney to join a young Amy’s squad at the basement with a 0-4 win-loss mark.

F2 Logistics, powered by UAAP champion La Salle, remains on top of the heap with 4-0, but its hold of the lead is being threatened by the Lady Troopers, who are crushing their foes using their rock-solid blocking and relentless attacks.

Their latest victim – reigning champion Petron – only managed to stand a fight in the first two sets before completely melting in the third set to surrender a 22-25, 23-25, 11-25 setback.

RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Reyes, however, played down their sizzling performance, saying that their fiery start is not because of their sheer talent, vast experience or game strategy, but because of a mere stroke of luck.

“It just so happened that we’re always at the right place and at the right time. We’re just lucky,” said Reyes, whose wards have smothered their previous foes in Amy’s, Cignal, Standard Insurance-Navy and Petron all via straight sets.

“All teams are strong. All teams are talented. I think we’re winning because we’re slowly reaching our peak condition,” he added.

But it won’t be a walk in the park for the Lady Troopers as the Tornadoes are also hungry for a win to redeem themselves from a heart-shattering 11-25, 23-25, 14-25 loss to the Cargo Movers last July 3.

Foton, which is in the thick of its preparation for the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship at the Alonte Sports Center in Binan City from September 3 to 11, is expected to go all out and draw the usual output from star players Jaja Santiago, Angeli Araneta, Maika Ortiz, Patty Orendain and Cherry Rondina with Ivy Perez and Rhea Dimaculangan setting the plays.

“More than anything else, a win over RC Cola-Army will put us back on track,” said Foton coach Villet Ponce-de Leon, who is very familiar with the coaching style of Reyes as they are working together in the women’s team of University of Santo Tomas. “We need to regain the confidence of the team. We need win this game very badly.”

Also expected to draw another massive weekend crowd is the encounter between Petron and Amy’s.

The Tri-Activ Spikers are also looking for redemption following that stinging setback to the Lady Troopers and only a resounding win over the Spikers will mend their broken hearts.

“The team simply didn’t respond to the challenges thrown by RC Cola-Army,” said Petron coach George Pascua. “We have to double our effort against Amy’s on Saturday. We have to play as a team again and believe ourselves.”

Skipper Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, who was lethargic in their previous game, will carry the cudgels anew while Frances Molina, Bernadeth Pons and Remy Palma are also expected to step up for Petron, which is looking to tighten its grip on that second spot.