EST COLA’S fast-paced, highly engaged brand of play proved too much even for a top-tier team like F2 Logistics.
The Thais, the Team B of its world-caliber national team, rained down a steady barrage of hits against the Cargo Movers to prevail, 25-14, 25-15, 25-17, last night in the Philippine Superliga Invitational Cup women’s volleyball at Fil-Oil Flying V Center in San Juan.
Open spiker Sutadta Chewulim dazzled the crowd and terrorized her defenders with pin-point spikes, accounting for 18 of EST Cola’s 53 attacks as against F2 Logistics’s 26.
“They are so young and yet so fast,” said F2 middle spiker/blocker Aby Maraño. “We couldn’t cope with them and had difficult time adjusting to and analyzing their plays.”
The Cargo Movers tried to force a fourth set by taking a 12-8 lead in the third, but their uprising proved short-lived as Sutadta scored from both back and front row, smashing quick sets with impunity.
Janthawisut Sasipaporn added 12 points for EST Cola, while Boonlert Tichaya had nine apart from opening the scoring alleys with 29 excellent sets.
The Cargo Movers, ironically, had better reception with Cha Cruz accounting for 12 of their 21. The Thais have 21.
But there seemed no way the Filipinos could have shielded themselves from the deluge of attacks as they only managed 22 excellent digs as against the Thais’ 38.
F2 Logistics’ usual gunners were generally silent as Maraño and Cruz managed to score just seven and six points, respectively. Underrated spiker Lillet Mabbayad topscored with eight.
Petron and RC Cola-Army are still slugging it out at press time at the start of the final round, a single-round robin among four teams.