MANILA, Philippines – In the Filoil EcoOil Center in San Juan today, the Cargo Movers are vying for a spot in the third semi-final of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference after bundling out Choco Mucho last Thursday. F2 Logistics anticipates having little trouble overcoming an Army team that has dropped all six of its games.
By eliminating Akari in four sets the other night, Petro Gazz joined league-leading Creamline in postseason play. At the conclusion of their elims campaign at 4 p.m., the fired-up Cargo Movers (5 to 2) will compete for the crucial win and the third slot.
But, when the sibling teams face off at 6:30 p.m., PLDT, with a 4 to 2 record, takes on a Cignal team determined to maintain whatever tenuous hopes it has for a 2 to 4 record. key game.
Following a difficult five-set defeat to the Cargo Movers on February 7th, the High-Speed Hitters entered the running for the championship with a four-game sweep. However, they were unable to push it, giving in to the strength and poise of the Cool Smashers, and ultimately lost by a resounding 3 to 0 score.
Yet, they aim to bounce back once more and anticipate that the HD Spikers will also do so after a lengthy hiatus as they seek their third win overall and second in a row against four losses.
With the Crossovers playing the Angels on Tuesday in the league’s first out-of-town games, featuring Creamline versus Akari in Iloilo City, Chery Tiggo (4 to 3) and Cignal are still optimistic about their backdoor bids. F2 Logistics and the PLDT now hold the inside track to the final two Final Four places, but Chery Tiggo and Cignal are still in the running.
In contrast, when the Thursday preliminary round comes to a finish, the HD Spikers will face the Lady Troopers as their final rivals.
Ties are resolved first by a specified ratio and then by points.
A round robin format will also be used for the semifinals, with the losers competing for bronze in two best-of-three sets while the top two contesting the championship.
Regine Diego, the head coach of F2 Logistics, is expected to experiment with different lineups when they face the Lady Troopers in an effort to generate additional threats that they will need for the anticipatedly tight and competitive next phase.
Even so, anticipate the Lady Troopers, who are supported by Honey Royse Tubino and Jeanette Villareal, to be in for a tough time as Kim Dy, Myla Pablo, and Aby Marao continue to set the tone.
