Generika earns Superliga semis

MANILA, Philippines — Generika-Ayala clinched the first semifinal seat in the Philippine Superliga All Filipino Conference after hurdling Smart, 25-16, 26-24, 25-22 in yesterday’s sudden-death quarterfinals at Batangas City Sports Center.

The No. 3 Lifesavers showed resilience after falling behind in the second and third sets to overcome the tough stand of the sixth-ranked Giga Hitters and complete their breakthrough Last-4 entry under their current franchise.

Generika-Ayala, which drew 16 points from Mikaela Lopez and 11 from Fiola Ceballos in the semis-clincher, awaits the winner of the quarters showdown between No. 2 F2 Logistics between No. 7 Cocolife.

“We’re happy because we’ve waited long and worked hard to reach the semis,” Generika-Ayala coach Sherwin Meneses, whose wards placed fifth in the previous Invitational Conference, said in Filipino. “Of course, we’re determined to go farther to the finals.”

It was also some sort of revenge for Generika, which was spoiled by a Smart team manned by different personnel in the quarterfinals of the preceding conference.

The Lifesavers came out of the opening serve firing, storming to a 17-7 tear to handily take the first set.