F2, Sta. Lucia hunt elusive first win in PSL All Filipino

Games Thursday:

(Strike Gym, Bacoor City)

5 p.m. – Generika-Ayala vs Cherrylume

7 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs Sta. Lucia

MANILA, Philippines — F2 Logistics and Sta. Lucia Realty seek to shut down their first round campaign on a high note when they tangle in the 2017 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference Thursday at the Strike Gym in Bacoor City in Cavite.

Game time is at 7 p.m. with both the Cargo Movers and the Lady Realtors looking to book the elusive first victory that would boost their morale in the second round.

Prior to that, Generika-Ayala will try to formalize its entry to Pool C when it clashes with struggling Cherrylume in the 5 pm appetizer of the league’s first offering of “Spike on Tour” this conference through the effort of Cavite vice governor Jolo Revilla and Bacoor City mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla.  

Based on the league format, the top two finishers in Pools A and B will collide in Pool C while the bottom two from both pools will be bunched in Pool D for another round of action to determine their quarterfinal ranking.

So far, Cignal, Foton and Petron are already assured of slots in Pool C while F2 Logistics and Sta. Lucia are waiting for the outcome of the match between Generika-Ayala and Cherrylume to determine who would join them in Pool D.

Things, however, are not looking good for the reigning champions—the Cargo Movers—after bowing to Petron in their first match and to Cignal last Tuesday.

Against the HD Spikers, the Cargo Movers looked shaky at the receiving end as they surrendered five aces in the fourth set that doomed their chances.

But for F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus, the battle has just begun.

“We’re still adjusting,” said de Jesus, who elevated the core of his De La Salle University to the PSL to groom it for another championship run in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

“We just have to work on our errors and move forward. It’s good that these issues cropped up early in the tournament. It’s still a long way to go.”

But the Lady Realtors will not be an easy foe.

After nearly beating the heavily favored Cignal side, Sta. Lucia struggled against Petron to yield an 18-25, 16-25, 20-25 decision late Tuesday.

Filipino-American spiker MJ Phillips was the lone bright spot with 11 kills and an ace for 12 points while the rest of the crew like Janine Navarro, Lourdes Clemente and Danika Gendrauli struggled against the strong net defense of Mika Reyes, Remy Palma and Marivic Meneses.

“Bouncing back serves as our motivation against F2 (Logistics),” said Sta. Lucia coach Sammy Acaylar. “We want to have a strong performance in our next game to show that we can stand our ground against the elite teams of the league.”