2 pm – Amy’s vs Standard Insurance-Navy
4 pm – Cignal vs Generika
Cignal had solid blocking and a well-balanced offensive assault to frustrate Standard Insurance-Navy, 25-19, 25-19, 25-21, in their classification battle of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Center.
The HD Spikers were impressive from start to finish as they clobbered the Corvettes in just 76 minutes to book a showdown with Generika for the battle for 5th to 6th places in this prestigious tournament bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Mueller, Mikasa and Asics with TV5 as official broadcast partner.
The Lifesavers, who went undefeated in the second round, advanced to the battle for 5th to 6th places following a four-set conquest of Amy’s at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center last Thursday.
Generika and Cignal will figure in the classification battle today also at this San Juan venue.
Jeanette Panaga and Cherry Mae Vivas served as a deadly combo at the firing end, finishing with 13 points apiece while wing spiker Carmela Tunay had 11 markers for the HD Spikers, who had a solid defensive effort at the net with nine blocks while tallying 19 digs.
“We simply enjoyed the game. Our confidence is now getting high and we’re now ready to capture the 5th place,” said Cignal coach Sammy Acaylar, adding that their performance might not be as impressive as initially projected, but they would gladly take it.
“I’m not hypocrite to say that I’m not depressed (with our finish). But I don’t take it negatively. I treat it as a blessing and move forward. We just have to forget the past, forget about our previous losses and take it as a challenge.”
But against the Corvettes, the HD Spikers looked impressive.
Panaga, Vivas and Janine Navarro erected an airtight defense wall right from the start while Tunay mocked the defense with hits from the open position.
Although Standard Insurance-Navy showed signs of life in the deciding set, 16-13, entering the second technical timeout, Panaga and Vivas found their form to overhaul the deficit into a 24-21 lead. Then, Djanel Cheng connected an ace to seal the victory.
“Now that we’re out of the semis, the target is 5th place,” said Acaylar, who also drew 27 excellent sets from playmaker Cheng.