Cignal stakes unblemished PSL record against Foton
Pacesetters Cignal and Philips Gold try to extend their impressive runs when they go up against separate foes today in the 2015 Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix women's volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.
The HD Spikers stake their unblemished record when they battle a dangerous Foton side at 6:15 p.m. while the Lady Slammers collide with the RC Cola-Air Force Raiders in the 4:15 p.m. opener of the inter-club tournament presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Mikasa, Senoh and Mueller as technical partners and TV5 as official broadcaster.
Probably the biggest surprise this conference, Cignal is ahead of the pack after racking up three consecutive wins in convincing fashion while Philips Gold dropped its debut game to the HD Spikers before scoring backto-back triumphs over reigning champion Petron and Meralco to occupy the second spot with a 2-1 win-loss card.
Not far behind are the Tornadoes and the Raiders at 1-1 while the young Power Spikers – composed of the nucleus of UAAP heavyweight De La Salle University – have yet to find their groove as they closed the first round without a single win in five games.
But things will not be easy for Cignal, especially with Foton dead serious in bouncing back from a 25-21, 20-25, 13-25, 25-12, 9-15 setback at the hands of Petron last week.
Cignal Coach Sammy Acaylar said all teams are on equal footing and everybody is capable of pulling a surprise.
He also downplayed speculations that they are the team to beat, saying they are still working on their chemistry since most of his players are new to his system.
"Depende na din sa ganda ng gising yan," said Acaylar, who piloted the HD Spikers to a bridesmaid finish in the league's inaugural conference in 2013. "We have to keep on working hard because the league is very balanced. There's no clear-cut favorite this year. We can't afford to relax at baka madisgrasya pa."
Ariel Usher, the blonde and charming former University of Portland star who has been averaging a whopping 28.8 points per game, will again serve as the focal point of offense.