Games Monday
(The Arena, San Juan City)
2 p.m. – PLDT vs Foton
4 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs Marinerang Pilipina
6 p.m. – Generika-Ayala vs Petron
Petron continues its road to redemption when it clashes with Generika-Ayala today in the Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.
Match is at 6 p.m. with the Blaze Spikers expected to follow up their morale-boosting win over the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers over the weekend.
F2 Logistics, meanwhile, seeks to bounce back from that loss in its 4 p.m. confrontation with Marinerang Pilipina while Foton searches for a first victory at 2 p.m. against PLDT.
Sisi Rondina, right, expects to lead Petron to a second straight win. (PSL Images)
Drawing strength from Sisi Rondina and Aiza Pontillas, Petron made its title campaign felt with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-18 win over F2 Logistics.
Rondina fired 17 points while Maizo-Pontillas delivered 14 markers for the Blaze Spikers, who look for a return trip to the finals after bombing out of the semis in the All-Filipino Conference last month.
Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos wants to win as early as possible.
“What we have is a very short tourney so every game counts,” he said, referring to the conference’s shorter format to give way to the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games slated November.
“But we can’t judge ourselves based on our first game. We still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. Yes, this is a short tournament and we want to win as early as possible. But we can’t afford to look to far. We just have to take who’s in front of us.”
It is easier said than done, as Petron faces a deep-laden Generika-Ayala lineup composed of Patty Orendain, Fiola Ceballos, Mean Mendrez, Kath Arado and Bia General.
But like Delos Santos, Lifesavers coach Sherwin Meneses expects a tough match.
“We know what kind of team Petron is; it is a champion team with a very good system,” he said, whose team is coming off a 25-19, 25-23, 25-17 triumph over the Marinerang Pilipina Lady Skippers.
“We always have to be at our best against them. We have to prepare and work hard to give them a run for their money.”
Tags: F2 Logistics , Generika-Ayala , Marinerang Pilipina , Petron , Philippine Superliga Invitational
