Games Saturday
(FilOil Flying V Center)
2:30 pm – Amy’s vs Generika
4:30 pm – Cignal vs Standard Insurance-Navy
6:30 pm – Petron vs Foton
Vivas rouses HD Spikers back to life.
LIPA CITY – Cignal made up for a sluggish start with a furious finish to coast to a 14-25, 25-27, 25-13, 25-14 win over Amy’s in the second round of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Thursday at the La Salle Lipa Sentrum.
It was a total team effort, but Cherry Vivas was the most impressive as she punched holes in the Spikers’ defensive blanket in the third and fourth sets en route to their victory in this prestigious club tourney sponsored by KLab Cyscorpions, Mueller, Mikasa and Asics with TV5 as official broadcaster.
Vivas delivered all her 10 points on kills while Janine Navarro, Carmela Tunay and Jeanette Panaga chipped in nine points each for the HD Spikers, who bounced back after a sorry loss to Generika in their first game of the second round.
The HD Spikers need to win its last game against Standard Insurance-Navy on Saturday to determine the placings in the classification phase.
“Our best finish will be fifth (place),” said Cignal coach Sammy Acaylar, who drew a 23-set effort from Djanel Cheng.
“But it’s okay. We’re still motivated to claim that fifth spot. I just tell her to do their best because something good will happen if we give our hundred percent every game.”
But against Amy’s, a team that is being handled by Acaylar in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Cignal lost its strength early on.
The Spikers displayed their might in the early stretch as Cindy Imbo bucked to work early, delivering back-to-back aces to give Amy’s an early 8-5 lead in the first technical timeout.
That lead swelled to nine, 21-12, with Cignal failing to come up with an answer to the hot smashes of Imbo and Jowie Verzosa.