PHYSICALLY and emotionally exhausted after scoring a five-set win over Choco Mucho last Tuesday, F2 Logistics faces another tough contender in Petro Gazz when it resumes its quest for a semis seat today in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
“We have to recover,” F2 Logistics coach Regine Diego said after her wards scored a 21-25, 25-17, 17-25, 25-21, 18-16 decision over the Flying Titans that saw them fight back from 11-14 in the deciding set to snatch the win.
With a 3-0 card in the six-team Pool B, F2 Logistics still needs to win once to formalize its semis stint although the Cargo Movers are keen on sweeping their last two games to further firm up their bid in the carry-over phase that will feature two foreign guest squads from Vietnam and Japan.
Chery Tiggo and Gerflor kick off another four-game bill at 9:30 a.m. with Creamline (2-0) also going all-out to nail the first semis spot in Pool A against PLDT at 4 o’clock, and Cignal out to enhance its semis bid against ousted Farm Fresh in Pool B in the 6:30 nightcap.
The league, backed by BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, Mikasa, SMART, Rebisco, Kumu, Asics and SportRadar, yesterday apologized for the inconvenience caused by the breakdown of the air-conditioning system last Tuesday due to the huge number of people in the arena — over 7,000.
The Philippine Sports Commission has ordered a replacement AC to ensure a more comfortable environment for the next games, according to the organizing Sports Vision.
Des Cheng quit in the fourth set due to exhaustion while Chery Nunag cramped out in the fifth set, hampering the Flying Titans’ offensive threat and defensive stance. Still, behind Sisi Rondina, Kat Tolentino, Bea de Leon, Maddie Madayag and Caitlyn Viray, Choco Mucho fought back from 4-7 down in the decider but blew a 14-11 bubble, leading to the Cargo Movers’ epic comeback.
“Sleep, nutrition and supplementation, we got coaches for that and they’re doing really well,” said Diego. “I know these girls are not going to be overconfident for the next game. So, we’re just going to celebrate for a second here and we’ll just move on and continue to work.”
Hard work has anchored the Cargo Movers’ surge in the mid-season conference and they continued to thrive with their resiliency, chemistry and big fighting heart.
Their depth also came to the fore against Choco Mucho as Diego drew clutch performances from rookies Mars Alba and Jolina dela Cruz with Shola Alvarez delivering a key ace that helped spike their enthralling come-from-behind triumph.
