AirAsia gains extra time to toughen up

MANILA, Philippines - AirAsia hopes to make the most of the extended break in the Philippine Superliga All Filipino Conference in the wake of Typhoon Glenda, toughening up for its Final Four duel with top seed Generika-Army.

“This is our maiden stint in the league and we want to leave an impression that despite having a young team, we can make an impact to the league,” said AirAsia’s Erick Arejola.

While the AirAsia management rued the damages  wrought by Glenda, the cancellation will give coach Ramil de Jesus more time to plot their strategy against a team loaded with veteran players.

“We know how formidable Generika is but coach Ramil is doing his level best to mold the team into a championship caliber,” added Arejola. “Hopefully, we can pull the rug from under.”

Bannered by former La Salle aces like Abi Marano, Stephanie Mercado and the charming Michelle Gumabao, the Flying Spikers downed Cagayan Valley in a five-set thriller,16-25, 16-25, 25-16, 25-17, 15-13, last Sunday to clinch the semis cast.

De Jesus said their win over Cagayan Valley is likely to give them an extra motivation when they clash with the top-seeded team.

“Given additional days to prepare, I hope can give my players extra pointers,” said de Jesus.

The league’s semis matches, that include the RC Cola-PLDT tussle, have been rescheduled to a later date.

But de Jesus knows beating Generika won’t be easy because of its vast experience.

De Jesus, however, believes his former La Salle players, along with Micmic Laborte and Cha Cruz have what it takes to pull off a surprise win.

“The way they recovered from a 0-2 hole against Cagayan was a testament of their desire to go all the way,” said Arejola.