Creamline and PayMaya, stung by their respective lower-ranked rivals in the opener, both vowed to bounce back when Game Two of the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Reinforced Conference semifinals is played tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.
The Cool Smashers and the High Flyers came into the semis series opener brimming with confidence following their dominant run in the elims, netting them the two outright berths in the Final Four. But the three-week layoff somehow slowed down their charge while the Pocari-Air Force Lady Warriors and the BanKo-Perlas Spikers sustained top form coming off a grueling quarterfinal phase which they topped to steal Game One of their respective series in the season-opening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.
“We got overeager. We also wanted to win but we took it in a wrong way in this game. We have to earn it the hard way by losing. It’s not really a bad loss for the team. As they say, we learn more from losses. Hopefully this loss will make us stronger next game,” said Creamline star Alyssa Valdez, who fired 16 hits and made nine digs but failed to draw the needed support from reinforcements Kuttika Kaewpin of Thailand and American Laura Schaudt, who replaced Serbian Nikolina Asceric.
Kaewpin struggled for six markers while Schaudt hardly mattered with a solitary point contribution as the Cool Smashers dropped a 23-25, 12-25, 23-25 loss Sunday.
The second seeded High Flyers actually put up a tougher stand and leveled the match after two sets but the third ranked Spikers’ reasserted their might in the next two to fashion out a 25-19, 26-28, 25-23, 25-23 victory in their side of the duel.
“Our three-week layoff took its toll on us. Maybe we got rusty but it will never be an excuse. A loss is a loss so we just have to accept that,” said PayMaya coach Roger Gorayeb.
Still, the High Flyers and the Cool Smashers remain confident of a big bounce back tomorrow with the former taking on the Spikers at 1:45 p.m. and the former facing off the defending champions at 3:45 p.m. Victories by Creamline and PayMaya will force a pair of sudden death set Friday but a repeat by Pocari and BanKo-Perlas will set up a clash for the crown on Sunday at the MOA Arena.
Meanwhile, PLDT and Vice Co likewise seek a pair of paybacks against Cignal and Air Force, respectively, as they resume their own drive in the men’s division of the league backed by Mikasa and Asics.
PLDT bowed to Cignal, 22-25, 20-25, 24-26, while newcomer Vice Co dropped a 25-27, 25-17, 19-25, 21-25 decision to Air Force also last Sunday.
Vice Co tangles with Air Force at 10 a.m. while PLDT and Cignal mix it up at 6 p.m.
The women’s matches will be aired live on ABS-CBN Sports+Action Channel 23, ABS-CBN S+A HD Channel 166, LIGA on SkyCable Channel 86, LIGA HD on SkyCable Channel 183 and via streaming while the men’s games can be viewed via streaming.
