COACH DE JESUS, EXCITED SA FINAL GAME NG CARGO

HINDI magiging madali ang muling pagsungkit ng titulo para sa F2 Logistics maliban na lang kung sino sa pagitan ng Petron at HD Spikers ang mananaig sa last team standings sa kanilang rubber match ng Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference semifinals series.

Ayon kay Cargo Movers head coach Ramil de Jesus, ang Blaze at HD Spikers ay nagkaharap para sa huling puwesto ng best-of-three finals showdown simula ngayong Sabado sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Habang isinusulat ito kagabi ay nagbabanggaan ang Petron at Cignal sa FilOil Flying V Centre kung saan ang magwawagi ay makakaharap ng F2 Logistics sa finals. “Whoever wins their semifinal series will surely give us a hard time in the finals,” ayon kay De Jesus, na ipinagmamalaki ang 11 titulo sa University Athletic Association of the Philippines. “Both Petron and Cignal are hungry. I’m sure whoever wins will go all out to win the crown.”

Parehong nakagawa ng malaking laro ang Petron at Cignal sa kani-kanilang unang semifinal encounter.

Isang vintage performance ang ipinamalas nina veterans Rachel Anne Daquis at Jovelyn Gonzaga para palakasin ang HD Spikers sa 25-20, 10-25, 16-25, 27-25, 15-11 na nagpawalis sa twice-to-beat edge ng Blaze Spikers sa prestihiyosong women’s club tourney. Naging mainit ang mga laro nina Aiza Maizo-Pontillas at Rhea Dimaculangan kasama sina Frances Molina, Sisi Rondina at Bernadeth Pons na nagpakitang-tapang din bago pina-surrender ang Petron sa deciding set.

“We all know that both teams are playing at a very high level. We saw it in the preliminaries where we needed five sets to decide the match,” ayon kay Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos, na binitbit ang Blaze Spikers sa walong straight finals appearances. “Petron has the championship experience and it will never lose the confidence it gained from past championships,” aniya.“Cignal, meanwhile, has been showing vast improvement. They are tall and have good team chemistry. My players are hungry to raise the PSL trophy again,” saad naman ni De Jesus. “So, expect us to do everything for the crown this Saturday.” (MC/VA)