PACESETTER Cagayan tries to close in on a quarterfinal berth when it squares off with dangerous Meralco today in the Shakey’s V-League Season 10 Open Conference at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Gametime is at 4 p.m. with the Rising Suns looking to extend their unbeaten start to four games and virtually seal their passage to the next round.
Cagayan goes into the game high on confidence after overwhelming Navy in straight sets last Thursday in a match where the Rising Suns flaunted their attacking depth.
But the Power Spikers, sporting a 2-1 record, are also riding high on a five-set triumph over Far Eastern U, 25-12, 25-22, 18-25, 23-25, 15-1,3 last Tuesday.
Army, one of the pre-tournament favorites, tackles a reeling Navy squad in the 2 p.m. match.
The Lady Troopers debuted with a straight set victory over Air Force as Mary Jean Balse, Joanne Bunag and Michelle Carolino showed awesome forms.
The Lady Sailors showed little resistance against the Rising Suns with veteran Cecille Cruzada turning out to be Navy’s best scorer with just six points.
Michelle Laborte, the Lady Sailors’ top blocker, is expected to have her hands full against Army, which also scored heavily on service aces with eight against the Air Women.
Attacking options is the least of Army’s problems with Nene Bautista, Dahlia Cruz and Marilette Carolino also capable of exploding for the Lady Troopers.
The Rising Suns’ attack has been working fluidly in the past three games with Relea Saet and Phomia Soraya providing an excellent job setting up the likes of Angeli Tabaquero, Aiza Maizo and Thai import Kannika Thipachot.