Navy, IEM dispute last Spikers Turf semis spot
Instituto Estetico Manila and Navy brace for a fierce battle as they dispute the fourth and last semifinal berth in the Spikers’ Turf Season 1 Reinforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City today.
Tied at fourth with 1-3 slates, the Volley Masters and the Sailors mix it up in the match tipped to be tight and tense with their respective seasons on the line in the 5 p.m. encounter.
The winner will seal a clash with topnotcher Air Force while Cignal and PLDT will slug it out for the other final berth in the season-ending conference of the pioneering men’s volley league presented by PLDT Home Ultera and backed by Mikasa.
The Airmen and the HD Spikers actually wound up tied at 4-1 after the single round elims but the former took the No. 1 spot in the Final Four by beating the latter, 3-1, last Oct. 17.
IEM is expected to lean on Ian dela Calzada, Jeffrey Jimenez, Rudy Gatdula and Ian Conde and setter Eden Canlas as the Volley Masters try to come up with a follow-up to their straight-set romp over the ousted Sta. Elena Construction side last week.
The win snapped their three-game skid and revived their slim semis hopes.
But Navy, which also beat Sta. Elena in four, is also out to end its own three-game slide with the Sailors tipped to bank on Nur Madsari, Jayson Sapida, Razzel Palisoc, Chris Senisan and playmaker John Junio.
The semis will be held tomorrow with games aired on weekdays on PTV-4 starting at 4 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:15 p.m., according to the organizing Sports Vision.