A BATTLE of military athletic might.
There’s no better description for today’s encounter as Generika-Army and RC Cola-Air Force clash in a winner-take-all showdown for the women’s title of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at Cuneta Astrodome.
Generika-Army coach Rico de Guzman said RC Cola-Air Force has enough firepower to match them, so they can’t let their defenses down in the 5:30 p.m. title clash.
Still there’s no denying that the Lady Troopers have the advantage of playing with an intact lineup, plus the fact that they have the most efficient, systematic game plan.
Unbeaten PLDT-Air Force and Cignal collide earlier at 3:30 p.m. for the men’s crown.
The Power Attackers, who ended the eliminations with an 8-0 card, are highly favored in the title match having dealt the HD Spikers’ two defeats in the round-robin phase.
AirAsia, the neophyte team which has caught a big following among fans, will gun for third place in the women’s division against PLDT Home Tvolution at 1:30 p.m.
Veteran Tina Salak is expected to play a key role in setting up the explosive Army gunners —Jovelyn Santiago in the right flank, Rachel Ann Daquis in the left, and Nene Bautista in the middle.
Another seasoned player, Mary Jean Balse, will do her work at the net.
De Guzman acknowledged that RC Cola-Air Force knows Army’s game well.
“Air Force knows us too well. We’ve been playing against each other in the AFP Olympics and I can say that they have already determined our weak spots,” said De Guzman. “They know how to attack us.”
The Raiders, whose core comes from the reigning Philippine National Games champions, will bank on a battle-scarred crew led by Maika Ortiz, Joy Cases, Iari Yongco and Rhea Dimaculangan.
“I know Rico and that defense will be his main focus in the championship,” said RC Cola-Air Force mentor Clarence Esteban.
He and De Guzman once played together for University of Santo Tomas.