DEFENDING champion Petron and Foton go for semis berths when they battle lower-seeded foes on Thursday in the knockout quarterfinals of the Philippine Superliga All Filipino Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.
The top-seeded Blaze Spikers square off with No. 8 Marinerang Pilipina Lady Skippers at 7 p.m. while third-ranked Tornadoes collide with No. 6 PLDT Home Fibr Power Hitters at 4:15 p.m.
Petron is not taking Marinerang Pilipina lightly despite finishing the double-round eliminations with a 13-1 card, knowing that the Lady Skippers are hungry to nail their first victory after going winless in 14 matches.
“We can’t afford to be complacent because we’re already in the knockout stage,” said Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos, who guided the Blaze Spikers to back-to-back All Filipino titles.
“Being on top is a huge opportunity, but we have to take care of it by keeping our focus and not letting any distraction get into our way,” he added.
The dynamic duo of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons will anchor Petron’s offense after erupting for 32 and 12 points in their last elims game against Foton. Skipper Ces Molina, Aiza Pontillas and Mika Reyes will also reinforce the crew.
Marinerang Pilipina, meanwhile, seeks this opportunity to end the winning drought and avenge its 25-21, 25-16, 25-10 and 25-12, 25-17, 25-9 elims defeats to Petron.
To do that, the Lady Skippers must double their efforts on all fronts with Judith Abil, Ces Racraquin, Nica Guliman and Dim Pacres in front of their attack.
In the other pairing, Foton is using its 25-15, 27-25, 25-14 triumph over Marinerang Pilipina at the end of the elims as a springboard in the crucial match.
The Tornadoes finished with an 8-6 record identical to Generika-Ayala but gained the higher seeding due to a superior quotient.
Sisters Jaja Santiago and Dindon Santiago-Manabat will lead Foton with their strong spikes and hard blocks as PLDT Home Fibr parades its own offensive pair in Grethcel Soltones and Jerrili Malabanan.
The Power Hitters finished the elims at 6-8 and are out to bounce back from their 21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-15 and 25-21, 25-21, 25-15 elims defeats to the Tornadoes. (KRISTEL SATUMBAGA)
