By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Games Today (The Arena, San Juan City)
4 p.m. – BaliPure vs Creamline
6:30 p.m. – Power Smashers vs Pocari
Pocari Sweat resumes its title-retention drive when it clashes with Power Smashers even as BaliPure and Creamline square off in their own semis series today in the Premier Volleyball League women’s tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.
The game between Pocari and Power Smashers is set at 6:30 p.m. with the Lady Warriors out to extend their winning streak to four games since the four-team single round quarters.
The Water Defenders and the Allysa Valdez-led Cool Smashers take the floor at 4 p.m. with the odds just about even.
While Pocari is on a roll, it can’t take Power Smashers for granted since the latter are fully rested and well motivated.
Pocari Coach Rommel Abella is hoping they can produce the fire and passion they dished out in scoring a 25-23, 25-15, 25-18 win over Perlas last Thursday.
“We had a couple of five-setters in our previous games and while it tested the characters of our players, we cannot afford to give our opponents the momentum since this is the semis,” said Abella.
Abella will continue to rely on American import Michelle Strizak and local stars Maricar Nepomuceno, Myla Pablo, and libero Melissa Gohing.
The Power Smashers, meanwhile, hope to return from a two-week respite with Thais reinforcement Kannika Tipachot and Hyapa Amporn joining forces with Jovelyn Prado and Andrea Marzan.
The Power Smashers won their first elims meeting, 25-9, 25-22, 25-21, before Pocari got back in their second confrontation, 25-21, 25-20, 25-16.
