Cignal finds itself somewhat tangled up in pursuit of a second straight win as it collides with an untested Japanese Maruichi Hyogo squad in the semifinal round of the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan Friday.
“Unfortunately kami yung una, not because Japanese team sila pero hindi namin alam kung paano sila maglaro. So maghahanap kami ng details or ng reference kung paano sila maglaro. Aaralin namin bukas para sa game namin sa kanila,” said Cignal coach Dexter Clamor after the HD Spikers toppled the Sta. Elena-National U at the Paco Arena in Manila last Wednesday.
Clamor admitted that the HD Spikers, led by the power duo of JP Bugaoan and Jau Umandal, have little to no information about the Japanese team’s brand of play. But he remains hopeful that the one-day break has assisted in their preparation against the guest team.
Gametime is 5:30 p.m. after the 3:30 clash between Letran and National U. The Saints Spikers are likewise shooting for a second straight win against the underhanded Nationals, who are out to redeem themselves in the five-team, round-robin phase of the season-ending conference organized by Sports Vision and backed by Bola.TV, Beyond Active Wear, ASICS and Mikasa.
Letran coach Brian Esquibel has highlighted the importance of the team’s morale-boosting win over the Altas, the reigning NCAA champions even as he hinted at potential new strategies after observing the HD Spikers’ victory over the Nationals.
“The win is big factor. But we take it one point at a time. We still need to work on the upcoming matches so that the team’s performance remains strong,” said Esquibel in Pilipino. “We saw their game. If they field the same players, we might do something different for our team.”
“Nakita namin yung laro nila. Kung same yung taya ng tao na ilalagay nila, possible na may gagawin kaming bago para sa team nila.”
The Nationals, who topped the Pool A elims, are dealing with injuries to Buds Buddin and Leo Aringo, Jr., relying mainly on players like Jade Disquitado, Nico Almendras, Leo Ordiales and Obed Mukaba for offensive and defensive concerns.
Games can be streamed live on SpikersTurf.ph and Pilipinas Live and telecast on OneSports and OneSportsPlus.