MANILA, Philippines – Generika-Ayala shut down the first round on a high note as it hammered a 26-24, 20-25, 25-17, 25-19 victory over Cocolife in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference Thursday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Head coach Sherwin Meneses missed the action, but it didn’t matter as the Lifesavers unleashed their balance attack to cruise to their fourth straight win in this prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, Sogo, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, UCPB Gen and Bizooku with Genius Sports as technical provider.
With the win, Generika-Ayala forged a tie with idle Cignal at the fourth spot with a 4-3 win-loss mark in this battle that also ESPN5, Hyper HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners.
Patty Orendain led the scoring parade with 22 points while Fiola Ceballos unleashed an all-around performance of 20 markers, 13 digs and 13 excellent receptions for the Lifesavers, who gained confidence after bringing down powerhouse F2 Logistics in four sets two weeks ago.
Angeli Araneta and Ria Meneses were also impressive as they chipped in 18 and 10 markers, respectively while prized libero Kath Arado registered 31 digs and 21 excellent receptions in a match that took almost two hours to conclude.
“We started the conference with three straight losses. That was tough. But when we won over F2 Logistics, that’s when things turned around for us,” said Generika-Ayala assistant coach Parley Tupaz.
“After that win, we gained confidence, we were able to play at our best.”
Tupaz, who called the shots in lieu of Meneses who was abroad to attend an FIVB coaching course seminar, added that although they remain a work in progress, they are glad that they are slowly developing their chemistry and cohesion needed for the tough grind ahead.
“Although there’s still a lot to work on but we’re happy that we’ve managed to get to where we are right now while working hard for what we want more.”
Filipino-American spiker Kalei Mau tallied a game-high 26 points, 12 digs and 16 excellent receptions for Cocolife, which slid to 1-6.
Alex Tan and Arianna Angustia also contributed 10 markers apiece.