Games Saturday:
(Ibalong Centrum for Recreation)
10 a.m. – Foton vs RC Cola-Army
3 p.m. – Cignal vs Generika
5 p.m. – Petron vs F2 Logistics
MANILA, Philippines — Booking a finals rematch would be Foton and Petron’s ultimate goal when they clash with separate foes in the sudden-death semifinals battle of the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Saturday at the Ibalong Centrum for Recreation.
The Tornadoes tip things off when they face RC Cola-Army at 10 am while the Tri-Activ Spikers tackle F2 Logistics in the 5 p.m. main match.
Meanwhile, Cignal and Generika try to close their bid on a high note when they figure in the classification for 5th to 6th places in the 3 p.m. second match of this triple-header that is through the effort of Legazpi City mayor Noel Rosal, councilor Beth Dimaculangan and JCI Legazpi City.
After slicing through the preliminaries like a hot knife to a butter, the Tornadoes are heavily favored with their Serbian coach Moro Branislav pronouncing that the semis if the “real battle” where they will unleash all the might, all the experience they gained from competing in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship two months ago.
Branislav said he would be sticking with his starting roster of Maika Ortiz and Dindin Manabat at the middle, imports Ariel Usher and Lindsay Stalzer at the open and Jaja Santiago at the opposite with veteran Rhea Dimaculangan setting the plays.
But they are tipped to get a furious challenge from the Lady Troopers, who are also looking to make it back to the finals after falling short in the All-Filipino Conference.
In their previous encounter last November 19, RC Cola-Army stretched the match to five sets with import Kierra Holst delivering 24 points while generating enough firepower from Jovelyn Gonzaga and Honey Royse Tubino, who punched 17 and 16 markers, respectively.
Branislav said he would come up with all the necessary adjustments to emerge victorious.
“We know RC Cola-Army is such a strong team with a lot of experience,” said the Serbian mentor, who is looking to steer the Tornadoes back to the Asian tourney set in Kazakhstan in April of next year.
“We have to be at our best. This is the real battle and we can’t afford to lose this one. This is a game where we have to show our championship form.”
Also expected to draw massive crowd is the match between Petron and F2 Logistics.
Petron dominated F2 Logistics twice in the preliminaries, but it no longer matters as the Cargo Movers are slowly peaking with imports Sydney Kemper and Hayley Spelman doing damage on both ends while Ara Galang, Mika Reyes, Cha Cruz and Aby Marano provide support.
Petron coach Shaq Delos Reyes said what happened in the preliminaries is now a thing of the past and their eyes are now fixed on winning the crown.
“We want to go back to the finals and avenge our lost to them (Foton),” said Delos Santos, who served as assistant coach of George Pascua when Petron lost to Foton in a thrilling best-of-three finals showdown last year.
“That’s why we’re working hard to make sure that we’re ready. The team vowed to support Steph (Niemer) all the way so I think we’ll be fine. All we need is to come up with a perfect team game to win over F2 Logistics.”
Aside from Niemer, who destroyed the Cargo Movers with nine aces in their second encounter, Delos Reyes is also pinning his hopes on Serena Warner, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Frances Molina and CJ Rosario with Jen Reyes and Bang Pineda manning the backline.