Games Today
(FilOil EcoOil)
4 p.m. – Cignal vs Capital1
6 p.m. – Akari vs Farm Fresh
In do-or-die matches, records and rankings are cast aside. What truly counts is resolve, poise and resilience.
And Capital1 hopes to bank heavily on the team’s new-found confidence when it battles No. 2 Cignal while Farm Fresh looks to do the same against the top-seeded Akari in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference knockout quarterfinals Saturday, Aug. 24, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Capital1 Solar Spikers coach Roger Gorayeb is convinced they can give Cignal a run for its money in their 6 p.m. showdown.
The Akari-Farm Fresh showdown is set at 4 p.m. with the former to repeat its previous victory over the Foxies, where Oly Okaro, the league’s second-leading scorer with 183 spikes, led the Chargers with an 18-point performance.
Although the HD Spikers defeated the Solar Spikers in four sets during the eliminations, Capital1 has shown significant improvement, winning five matches compared to their single victory in the All-Filipino Conference.
Known for his tactical acumen, Gorayeb is expected to devise strategies to disrupt Cignal’s defensive and offensive patterns.
“It’s hard to stop MJ (Perez), but we’ll try to limit her production,” said Gorayeb. “We’ll have to tighten our defense not just against MJ but also against the locals.”
Conversely, Gorayeb emphasized the need for his locals to step up and share the offensive load to prevent Tushova from getting overworked.
“Everybody must step up offensively to prevent Marina (Tushova) from getting worn out,” he added.
Des Clemente has embraced her role as a key player for Capital1, providing both defensive strength and offensive firepower. Alongside her, rookie Leila Cruz, Julia Ipac and Jenya Torres will look to elevate their performances in the knockout stage, and skipper Jorelle Singh and playmaker Michelle Cobb complete a team determined to continue defying the odds.
Tushova’s efficiency has been remarkable, with 235 spikes and only eight faults in eight matches, placing her way ahead of Okaro in the scoring charts.
But Gorayeb knows that stopping Cignal’s MJ Perez, the fourth-leading scorer with 176 spikes, will be crucial.
