Games tomorrow (Tuesday)
3 p.m. – Choco Mucho vs Cignal HD
6 p.m. – PLDT vs Petro Gazz
Ilocos Norte – Streaking Choco Mucho tries to pounce on a slumping Cignal HD side in an attempt to match sister team Creamline’s 4-0 start even as Petro Gazz seeks solo third against winless PLDT Home Fibr in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the PCV Socio-Civic Cultural Center in Bacarra here today (Tuesday).
The Flying Titans swept their first three matches since kicking off their campaign just last Wednesday, repulsing the PLDT Power Hitters in four, dispatching the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors in three before spoiling the Perlas Spikers’ debut, also via three-set romp, in the country’s first pro volley league last Sunday.
In contrast, the HD Spikers dropped their last two games after levelling their card at 1-1 with a four-set win over the Lady Realtors, dropping the veteran-laden squad to joint seventh with Sta. Lucia with 1-3 slates.
That makes their 3 p.m. clash a must-win for Cignal HD as the battle for the top four slots among 10 teams heats up in the single round elims.
PLDT is also hard-pressed to end a four-game skid with multi-titled coach Roger Gorayeb in frantic search of a spark from among his mix of talents.
But with the Angels back on the winning track with a sweep of the HD Spikers last Friday following a four-set setback the fancied Cool Smashers, the Power Hitters will need to draw big games from the likes of Isa Molde, Joy Soyud, Genn Layug, Toni Rose Basas, Shola Alvarez, Jorelle Singh and Kat Villegas to stop the Angels and revive their flickering Final Four hopes.
Meanwhile, BaliPure scored a big follow-up to its stunning reversal over Chery Tiggo, last Thursday, turning back Cignal HD, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 late Sunday to tie Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo at third with 2-1 slates.
The Purest Water Defenders, however, needed to arrest a late skid to escape with the victory and get back into the mix after dropping a four-setter to the Black Mamba Army Troopers last Tuesday.
Looking for a big finish after battling back from a set down, winning the next two and storming to a 21-12 lead in the fourth, BaliPure played hassle-free and nearly paid dearly for it as it gave up 10 of the next 12 points on miscues and Cignal’s key hits to enable the latter to pull within a point.
But Grazielle Bombita blasted in a kill over two defenders after her first attempt was foiled and Satriani Espiritu dashed the HD Spikers’ rally with an ace.
Cignal HD dropped to joint eighth with the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors at 1-3.