Foton aims to take first finals slot today

Games Today (Malolos Sports and Convention Center) 4 p.m. – Generika vs Amy’s 6 p.m. – Foton vs RC Cola-Army

Top seed Foton guns for the first championship berth today when it tangles with skidding RC Cola-Army in the knockout semifinals of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center in Bulacan.

Match is at 6 p.m. with the Tornadoes hoping to duplicate their five-set victory over the Lady Troopers in the second preliminary round last week.

Though RC Cola-Army boasts of a strong mix of veteran and rising players, Foton remains the fancied team in the matchup after finishing the second preliminaries unbeaten at 3-0 for the top seeding.

The Tornadoes are expected to continue their momentum following a morale-boosting 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25- 19 victory over powerhouse F2 Logistics four days back.

Coach Vilet Ponce De Leon is casting her eyes on 6-foot-4 Jaja Santiago to man the net, with hard-hitting Cherry Rondina and skipper Angeli Araneta.

Against F2, the dynamic trio combined for 41 points with Santiago finishing with 13 attacks and six blocks.

“We are peaking at the right time,” said Ponce De Leon, who also toppled Petron in straight sets in the second prelims. “I just hope we can sustain it.”

In contrast, RC Cola finished the second prelims with a 0-3 card and is currently on a four-game losing skid since the latter part of the first-round prelims.

Adding a blow to its campaign is a hurting Rachel Anne Daquis, who remains a doubtful starter after hurting her ankle in their 18-25, 25-15, 25-17, 2325, 15-9 defeat over Foton last week.

Still, RC Cola Coach Kungfu Reyes is leaning her veterans Tina Salak, Jovelyn Gonzaga and Royse Tubino to lift up the squad.