RC Cola-Army shoots down Generika for PSL semis slot

FILE – Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

RC Cola-Army took the easy rout and dispatched Generika in convincing fashion, 25-20, 25-19, 25-19, in the playoff for a semifinal spot in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Sunday at Philsports Arena.

With the victory, the Lady Troopers set up a semifinals date with top seed Foton, which has a 9-1 record after the 10-game eliminations.

Army assistant coach Rico De Guzman, who is filling in for head coach Kungfu Reyes, said he was thankful to see the team’s performance was a reflection of their practices. Reyes is with University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP.

“We’re not thinking about winning in straight sets. We just had no problems with our offense,” said De Guzman in Filipino. “The only problem was our footwork and the imports’ blocking.”

RC Cola-Army distinguished its offensive game from Generika with a 48-31 advantage in spikes but the Lady Troopers only had five blocks compared to the Lifesavers’ eight.

Jovelyn Gonzaga led the Lady Troopers with 13 points while Hailie Ripley and Kierra Holst also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Polina Liutikova had 10 points to lead the Lifesavers while Darlene Ramdin and Ria Meneses had nine points apiece.