F2 Logistics, Petron collide in Superliga

Games today:

(De La Salle Lipa Sentrum)

 3 p.m. – Amy’s vs Cignal

5 p.m. – Foton vs RC Cola-Army

7 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs Petron

LIPA CITY – Surging F2 Logistics tries to sustain its solid momentum when it clashes with Petron in the second round of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Thursday at the De La Salle Lipa Sentrum here.

Another massive crowd is expected when the Cargo Movers shoot for their second consecutive win at 7pm featured encounter of this tournament bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Mueller, Asics and Mikasa with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Prior to that, RC Cola-Army will try to redeem its pride when it tangles with Foton at 5 p.m. while Amy’s and Cignal will square off for the elusive first victory in the classification phase at 3 p.m.

Living up to its pre-tournament billing as the team-to-beat, F2 Logistics displayed its fearsome form when it shut down its first-round campaign with an earthshaking five set victory over RC Cola-Army followed by another morale-boosting straight-set conquest of the Lady Troopers at the start of the second round.

With that, the Cargo Movers gained a quick headstart in the second round and victories over Petron and Foton will give them the top seed in the sudden-death semifinals.

But F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus isn’t concern about their semifinal ranking.

“That win (over RC Cola-Army) doesn’t mean a thing; the real battle is in the semifinals and the finals,” said de Jesus, the seasoned mentor who led La Salle to the UAAP women’s volleyball crown few months ago.

“We have to sustain our momentum and be consistent. We’re now in the second round and everybody is out to beat us. We can’t afford to relax. We have to be at our best all the time.”

Against the Lady Troopers, the Cargo Movers were obviously the better team as their blocking, led by Aby Marano, Mika Reyes, Majoy Baron and Kim Dy, worked perfectly as well as their floor defense manned by libero Dawn Macandili.

The more seasoned Lady Troopers simply had no answer to these rampaging Cargo Movers, who tallied a convincing 25-16, 25-12, 25-15 victory.

“F2 Logistics is such a young team and we know that we have no chance winning over them in a game like this,” said Army coach Kungfu Reyes, who are eyeing a major rebound against the Tornadoes. “I think we just have to take it as a springboard to bounce back and win our remaining games in the eliminations.”

The Cargo Movers’ mettle, however, will be put to a serious test against the Tri-Activ Spikers.

After dropping a pair of games in the first round, Petron coach George Pascua said his wards, especially rookies Remy Palma and Bernadeth Pons, have already adjusted and are now ready to unleash their deadly form.

In fact, his prized libero, Jen Reyes, will re-assume her old spot in the starting unit while Palma, Cherry Nunag and CJ Rosario will provide the defensive muscle at the net.

“The adjustment period is over; we’re now ready for the ‘real battle,’” said Pascua following an easy 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 win over Standard Insurance-Navy in their last game of the first round last Saturday.

“F2 Logistics is a serious contender. But we will give them a very good fight. We are the defending champions here and we will not go down without putting up a fight,” added Pascua, who is tipped to bank on Ces Molina and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas to supply the offensive production.