All-Pinay, Collegiate Superliga on

MANILA, Philippines — New-look Foton and intact Generika-Ayala seek a strong start to their bids in the Philippine Superliga All Filipino Conference as they face off in their debut outings today at Ynares Arena in Pasig.

The Tornadoes enter hostilities with a different look as sisters Jaja Santiago and Dindin Manabat now ply their trade in the V-Premier League in Japan leaving Maika Ortiz, Shaya Adorador, CJ Rosario, Mina Aganon, Bea de Leon and new recruit Arianne Layug with the task of leading the Tornadoes Blue Energy.

“Their absence will give other players a chance to step up,” said rookie coach Aaron Velez. “With Jaja and Dindin out, we will have a new look and we’ll not be relying on one or two players alone as the other players are expected to step up and contribute.”

For their part, the Life Savers led by Angeli Araneta, Marivic Meneses, Mikaela Lopez, Fiola Ceballos, Patty Orendain, Kat Aradlo and Bang Pineda come in with more confidence, having achieved cohesion and chemistry in the off-season.

“Our team is very motivated to make it to the semifinals this time. There are no more excuses since we have been together for one whole year. So it’s now time to play hard and deliver the result,” said Generika coach Sherwin Meneses. “We had a great off-season and our chemistry had improved. I hope we can carry the momentum all the way to the All-Filipino.”

Winner of the 5 p.m. duel gets to join opening-day victors Petron, F2 Logistics and Smart in the early lead.

Meanwhile, Cignal and Cocolife look to bounce back from their Day One losses to F2 and Petron, respectively, when they meet in the 7 p.m. nightcap of a long Saturday offering by the PSL.

The league’s inaugural Collegiate Grand Slam fires off today with University of the Philippines and University of the East ushering in action in their 12 noon encounter and University of Santo Tomas and Colegio de San Agustin locking horns at 2 p.m.

The All Filipino Conference’s formal opening ceremonies, meanwhile, happen at 4 p.m.