IMUS CITY—F2 Logistics tries to tighten its hold on second spot when it battles Sta. Lucia Realty in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Tuesday at the Imus Sports Center here.
Action kicks off at 7 p.m. with the Cargo Movers gunning for their third victory in this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, UCPB Gen and Rebisco with ESPN5 as official broadcast partner.
Generika-Ayala and Smart, meanwhile, shoots for their first victory when they collide in the 4:15 p.m. appetizer of this explosive double-header of this league that also has Senoh, Mikasa, Asics, LGR and Grand Sport as technical sponsors.
Petron remains on top of the team standings with a 6-0 (win-loss) mark, while F2 Logistics is quite far behind with 2-1, making this battle against Sta. Lucia very interesting and crucial for the reigning champion.
After opening their campaign on a winning note, the Cargo Movers suffered a little turbulence as they bowed to the Blaze Spikers in four sets in a fierce duel that served as a rematch of the action-packed best-of-three finals showdown last year.
But that setback is now a thing of the past as the F2 Logistics put clamps on Smart’s gem of an import in Gyselle Silva from start to finish en route to an impressive 25-22, 25-18, 25-17 victory last week.
Silva, the hard-hitting former Cuban national team player, was limited to her lowest scoring output of 17 points as Aby Marano, Kennedy Bryan, Lourdes Clemente and reigning Most Valuable Player Maria Jose Perez made life difficult for her.
“We forced her out of her comfort zone, which was a major part of our game plan,” said F2 Logistics head coach Arnold Laniog, adding that employing that kind of airtight defense against an elite team like Sta. Lucia will be easier said than done.