Army, PLDT, Choco Mucho play for PVL survival

Games Saturday
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)

11:30 a.m. – Creamline vs Army
2:30 p.m. – PLDT vs Cignal
5:30 p.m. – Petro Gazz vs Choco Mucho

MANILA, Philippines – Army Black Mamba, PLDT and Choco Mucho fight for dear semifinal life as they battle separate foes in a wild, highly anticipated three-game bill Saturday — the last elimination round play date of the Premier Volleyball League Invitational — at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The Lady Troopers tackle the powerhouse Creamline Cool Smashers at 11:30 a.m., the Power Hitters face off with the Cignal HD Spikers at 2:30 p.m. and then the Flying Titans collide with the already-ran Petro Gazz Angels at 5:30 p.m. to cap off the busy weekend schedule.

Army and PLDT, which are currently tied for third spot with 3-2 records, and Choco Mucho, at No. 5 with a 2-3 mark, are shooting for the two remaining semis seats and join Cignal, Creamline and foreign guest teams Kobe Shinya of Japan and King Whales of Taipei there.

A win for both the Lady Troopers and Power Hitters would catapult them straight to the next phase, eliminate the Flying Titans and complete the semis cast.

A loss by either one or both and a win by Choco Mucho, which stayed alive after edging PLDT, 25-21, 25-17, 22-25, 10-25, 16-14, Thursday, on the other hand, would create two-way or three-way ties.

If that happens, it would be settled via quotient.

And Choco Mucho coach Oliver Almadro is hoping his team could muster the same fighting spirit they showed in rallying back from a 6-2 fifth-set deficit against PLDT the last time out.

“That’s what I’ve always asked the team, to be a never-say-die team,” said Almadro. “And we will never say die on Saturday and we will fight until the end and for each other.”

Kat Tolentino is expected to come through again on this one after she delivered when her team needed it most by unleashing a 27-point masterpiece including some clutch hits and kill blocks in the deciding set that tilted the balance in their favor.

“The team showed character,” said Tolentino, who missed a couple of games due to health reasons prior to her timely eruption.