The chase for the final berths in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Reinforced Conference comes down to a pair of rubber matches that could either go down-to-the-wire or via straight-set romps.
But given the strength and talent of the protagonists and the weight of the matches today, Friday, one can expect only the best from Creamline, Pocari-Air Force, PayMaya and BanKo-Perlas as they go for the coveted slots and crack at the championship at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.
The Cool Smashers and the High Flyers seized the momentum with their Game Two wins but the Lady Warriors and the Perlas Spikers have the experience needed to bounce back from tough setbacks, guaranteeing a pair of explosive matches capping the semis phase of the season-opening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.
The top-seeded Creamline and No. 4 Pocari dispute the first finals slot at 1:45 p.m. while the No. 2 PayMaya and third ranked BanKo-Perlas collide at 3:45 p.m.
Creamline rebounded from its straight-set back to Pocari in Game One with a 25-16, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17 victory last Wednesday, putting the Cool Smashers’ drive for a breakthrough victory in the backed by Mikasa and Asics back on track.
Unlike in the series’ opener, top spiker Alyssa Valdez drew solid backup from the team’s other stalwarts, including Michelle Gumabao, who atoned for a five-point output in Game One with a top-scoring 18-hit effort. Thai reinforcement Kuttika Kaewpin also scored 14 points after struggling for six and fellow import Laura Schaudt settled down from a measly one-hit game last Sunday with 10 points.
“Everybody really wanted to win,” said Valdez, who turned in the team’s only double-digit output in Game One with 16 then followed it up with 15 points. “We actually talked about our Game One loss and we made the adjustments. We showed that in Game Two and we hope to sustain it in the do-or-die.”
But the Lady Warriors are also expected to fight back in a bid to keep their title-retention drive going with import Arielle Love eager to atone for her nine-hit effort in the loss after exploding for 20 in the series’ opener. Fellow import Maddie Palmer and Myla Pablo have been dishing out consistent games but the likes of Jeanette Panaga, Del Palomata, Iari Yongco and Wendy Semana must also step up to foil the Cool Smashers’ bid.
PayMaya, meanwhile, hopes to come up with a killer instinct lacking in their Game Two win that saw the High Flyers sweep the first two sets only to drop the next two, needing to lean on Grethcel Soltones’ heroics to finish off the Spikers, 28-26, 25-16, 25-27, 25-27, 15-12, and stay in the title hunt.
“I told the locals to do their job and not just rely on the imports,” said PayMaya coach Roger Gorayeb, referring to Soltones’ solid 22-hit game she spiked with 29 excellent receptions and 15 digs. ”I told Grethcel and the others that if she can’t attack and receive, the others will take care of offense.”
BanKo-Perlas coach Dong dela Cruz also hopes to get some output from his local aces in sudden death, particularly Nicole Tiamzon, who scored just one hit in two sets after scoring nine in the first game.
BanKo actually boasts of a pair of power-hitters in Kia Bright and Jutarat Montripila but the Spikers will need added firepower from other sources to neutralize the High Flyers’ balanced offensive sock.
The 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 at sports.abs-cbn.com/livestream/pvl.