Cignal, Philips Gold seek wins to assure first round 1-2 post

Games today (Cuneta Astrodome)

1:15 p.m. – RC Cola-Air Force vs Cignal

3:15 p.m. – Philips Gold vs Foton

MANILA, Philippines - Surging Cignal and Philips Gold aim to end their first round campaigns with a blast when they clash with separate foes today in the 2015 Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix women’s volleyball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The HD Spikers tackle a dangerous RC Cola-Air Force at 1:15 p.m. while the Lady Slammers battle Foton in a 3:15 p.m. encounter in the inter-club tournament presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Mueller, Mikasa and Senoh as technical partners and TV5 as official broadcast partner.

After a poor performance the past conference, the HD Spikers marched to battle with a re-tooled roster anchored on veterans Michelle Laborte, April Ross Hingpit, Jheck Dionela and Cherry Mae Vivas with American imports Ariel Usher and Amanda Anderson manning the attack zone.

They opened the Grand Prix with a nail-biting five-set victory over reigning champion Petron before crushing Philips Gold, Meralco and Foton to post a 4-0 win-loss mark in this tourney that also stakes a ticket to the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship in Manila next year.

But Cignal coach Sammy Acaylar still sees a very long journey.

“It’s still far from over,” said Acaylar after booking a scary 25-20, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23 victory over the Tornadoes late Thursday to move to within a win of sweeping the first round.

“Yes, we are on top of the standings, but we still have to remain hungry and we must avoid being complacent. Other teams are preparing and adjusting as well. We are taking this tournament one game at a time.”

Acaylar added that RC Cola-Air Force will be a tough foe, especially with imports Lynda Morales and Sara McClinton looking to push their locals even further in a bid to avenge their heart-breaking 25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 21-25, 8-15 loss to Philips Gold also last Thursday.

“They are hungry,” he said. “We have to continue studying them and plot a strategy to neutralize the power of Morales in the middle position. Hindi kami pwedeng magpahinga. Mahabang labanan pa yan.”

Also tipped to treat the weekend crowd with another explosive display of volleyball action is the encounter between Philips Gold and Foton.

The Lady Slammers are riding the crest of a three-game winning streak and a victory over the Tornadoes will not only give them the solo second spot, but also strengthen their claim as a solid championship contender.

In fact, in their previous victory over RC Cola-Air Force, Philips Gold didn’t just simply bank on import Bojana Todorovic down the stretch, but also drew impressive performance from Alexis Olgard as well as the local crew led by Myla Pablo, Michelle Gumabao and Lutgarda Malaluan.

Todorovic emerged with 22 kills and three aces for a total of 25 points while Olgard delivered 18 kills to finish with 27 hits to go with Pablo’s 17 points.

“That’s the beauty of having Bojana. She used to play libero in the States, so she’s very vocal in motivating her teammates,” said Philips Gold coach Francis Vicente. “She’s a born leader, very passionate and knows what it takes to win. She’s whom we need, especially if the game is on the line.”