Foton standouts Christine Joy Rosario and Jaja Santiago look to stop Sta. Lucia’s upset bid. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Foton eyes a trouble-free ride to the semifinals against lightly regarded Sta. Lucia Realty even as Cocolife and Cignal dispute the remaining Final Four spot in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Thursday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The two-time defending champion Tornadoes will be going up against the Lady Realtors, whom they trounced in the eliminations with ease, 25-16, 25-11, 25-16.
And with high morale coming into the quarterfinals after turning back erstwhile unbeaten F2 Logistics, the Tornadoes should have the upper hand in the knockout encounter at 4:15 p.m.
“We have high respect for these teams and we work very hard because we want to make sure we defend the title again,” said Foton coach Moro Branislav.
The veteran Serbian mentor said he was expecting the Lady Realtors to pour their hearts out against them, the way Generika-Ayala made Petron worked hard for the semifinals berth late Tuesday.
The Blaze Spikers, the reigning All Filipino champions, encountered a rough patch before overcoming the hard-fighting Lifesavers in a thrilling five-setter, 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17,15-11.
The winner between Foton and Sta. Lucia will take on Petron, while the victor between Cocolife and Cignal will square off with F2 Logistics.
The Asset Managers ran away with a five-set victory over the HD Spikers, 19-25, 24-26, 27-25, 25-16, 15-9, and that could factor into the 7 p.m. match.
Another thing going against Cignal was the absence of local leaders Jovelyn Gonzaga (knee injury) and Rachel Anne Daquis (dengue), leaving a rudder-less lineup that struggled to get past winless squad Victoria Sports-UST last week.