MANILA – Unbeaten Cignal and Akari eye crucial wins to stay on top of Pool B in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Thursday.
The HD Spikers will battle two-time champion Petro Gazz Angels at 1 p.m. while the Chargers will face winless ZUS Coffee at 5 p.m.
Scheduled at 3 p.m. is the match between Choco Mucho and Capital1, who are tied with Petro Gazz at 1-2.
Venezuelan wing spiker MJ Perez, Ces Molina, and Jackie Acuna will lead Cignal, which rolled to its third straight win at the expense of Capital1, 25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-13, last Saturday.
Petro Gazz, spearheaded by reigning All-Filipino Conference MVP Brooke Van Sickle and Cuban opposite hitter Wilma Salas, is expected to rebound from its 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 27-29, 14-16 loss to Akari.
“Of course, another win is a big help. It is more about recovery, and we have three days to study them. Knowing Petro Gazz, we will give them the respect they deserve but we also need to deliver an even stronger fight,” Cignal head coach Shaq Delos Santos said.
Meanwhile, American opposite spiker Oly Okaro, the tournament's leading scorer with 85 points, will be supported by Grethcel Soltones, Ivy Lacsina, Kamille Cal, Camille Victoria, and Michelle Cobb when Akari tackles ZUS Coffee.
The Thunderbelles, who bowed to the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, 25-14, 20-25, 19-25, 18-25 for their third consecutive loss, will try to bounce back with the help of Japanese import Asaka Tamaru and locals Gayle Pascual, Michelle Gamit, Ypril Tapia, and Dolly Versoza.
Choco Mucho will bank on Royse Tubino, Isa Molde, and Maddie Madayag while Capital1 will depend on Russian spiker Marina Tushova, Des Clemente, and Iris Toleneda. (PNA)
