Games Saturday(Philsports Arena)
2:30 p.m. – Akari vs UAI-Army
5:30 p.m. – Cignal vs Chery Tiggo
Cignal and Chery Tiggo brace for a fierce duel of power and style as they clash today (Saturday) for the solo lead capping the action-packed first week of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference eliminations at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The HD Spikers shrugged off an early struggle and shut down the debuting Akari Chargers in four in last Saturday’s inaugurals of the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision while the Crossovers repulsed the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers in three last Tuesday.
While Cignal import Tai Bierria flashed top form – scoring 20 points, including 17 on attacks and producing nine excellent digs – in her league debut, Chery Tiggo’s reinforcement Jelena Cvijovic is expected to come out strong following a six-point outing the first time out.
“She’s still adjusting to the local brand of play but she was able to gain her rhythm in time against F2,” said Chery Tiggo coach Clarence Esteban of their reinforcement, who, however, made up for her scoring slack by coming through with seven excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions.
Esteban’s crack local crew likewise stepped up to get past the Cargo Movers.
Skipper and seasoned campaigner Mylene Paat fired 16 points, EJ Laure delivered 11 points, including clutch hits, while Grace Carandang, Roselle Baliton, setter Jasmine Nabor combined for 15 points for the inaugural pro league champions.
Against the solid HD Spikers in their 5:30 p.m. face-off, Esteban said they need to stay focused, stressing: “With God’s grace, if we keep on winning, it will have a big impact on the team.”
“We’re still on the rebuilding process and it’s a plus for us if we continue to get good results,” added Esteban.
But Cignal is likewise keen on going 2-0 in the early going of the round robin elims among nine teams although coach Shaq delos Santos has maintained they are still far from reaching top form.
“We still have a lot to improve, a lot of work to do. We’re very thankful for the win which however wasn’t too good of a game for us. But we learned a lot, so we will prepare for our next game,” said delos Santos, who actually had to buck the absence of key players to spoil the Chargers’ maiden stint.
Cignal played sans middle Ria Meneses and Jerrili Malabanan due to knee issues while veterans Rachel Anne Daquis and Ces Molina saw action only in the first two frames. But Chai Troncoso and Angeli Araneta rose to the challenge while playmaker Gel Cayuna was in her elements, feeding off 23 excellent sets and chipping in five points.
Meanwhile, UAI-Army and Akari tangle in the 2:30 p.m. opener, each raring to avoid falling 0-2 in the single round robin elims among nine teams.
The Lady Troopers dropped a tough five-set loss to the PLDT High Speed Hitters but are expected to bank on their veteran smarts to hurdle past the Chargers.
Games are aired every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on One Sports, One Sports+, Cignal Play and Smart Gigaplay with hashtag #TheHeartofVolleyball.
