F2, Sta. Lucia look to fuel quarter bids

Games Today (The Arena, San Juan City) 3 p.m. – Petron vs Generika 5 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs Cherrylume 7 p.m. – Sta. Lucia vs Cocolife

Reigning champion F2 Logistics and Sta. Lucia try to keep their respective bids intact when they clash with separate foes today in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Cargo Movers collide with newcomers Cherrylume Iron Lady Warriors at 5 p.m., while the Lady Realtors tangle with the Cocolife Asset Managers in the 7 p.m. nightcap.

Also out to bolster its campaign is powerhouse Petron, which raises the curtain at 3 p.m. against Generika-Ayala.

Every match is important for both F2 Logistics and Sta. Lucia to get better rankings in the crossover quarterfinals where survivors will battle in the semis before marching into the bestof-three finals.

At the moment, F2 and Sta. Lucia hold the top 2 spots in Pool D with 2-2 and 1-3 win-loss records, respectively. Cocolife and Cherrylume are at the bottom with 1-3 and 0-4 marks.

F2 Logistics coach Ramil De Jesus is banking on his young but talented stalwarts to strengthen their title-retention campaign, particularly national team members Aby Maraño, Kim Fajardo, and Dawn Macandili.

But the Cargo Movers need to work doubly hard, particularly in following up their quick 25-16, 25-12, 25-16 victory over Cocolife over the weekend.

"My players get easily intimidated, so I hope that we'll be able to work that out as soon as possible," said De Jesus, whose players are the same faces he has mentored at De La Salle in the collegiate scene.

But Cherrylume's hunger to earn that elusive victory can be dangerous, with skipper Mary Anne Mendrez, Judith Abil, and setter Laizah Bendong taking charge of its frontline.

Like F2 Logistics, Sta. Lucia must maintain its intensity following a 25-20, 21-25, 25-17, 25-16 triumph over Cherrylume three days ago.

Expect to step up for the Asset Managers are MJ Phillips, who torched the net with 23 kills to finish with 25 points the last time.