Generika-Ayala caps return to spotlight with third-place finish

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Generika-Ayala salvaged third place honors on Saturday night after crushing an uninspired Cignal HD, 25-12, 30-28, 25-13, in the Philippine Superliga at SM Mall of Asia Arena.

It was a remarkable finish for the Lifesavers, who the past few years were in the doldrums but very quickly turned things around when they started beating top teams on their way to the semifinals.

Without a legitimate superstar to build on, Generika-Ayala took everyone’s attention when it defeated title contender F2 Logistics in the preliminary and then ranked third entering the quarterfinals.

“Everything is because of our determination to win,” said Generika top spiker Patty Orendain, who led her team with 16 points.

She got enough help from fellow low-key teammates Angeli Araneta, Ria Meneses, Mika Lopez and Fiola Ceballos.

Generika coach Sherwin Meneses lauded the players’ willingness to play their respective roles.

“We are very happy, all of us, this is our best Christmas,” said Orendain in Filipino. “Our coach said together we can accomplish things as long as we have teamwork.”

The Lifesavers totally dominated the match except for the brief juncture in the second set where they yielded three set points. They out-attacked the HD Spikers, 40-32 and stymied the opposition’s offense with 11 kill blocks compared to three by Cignal.

Cignal came out cold in the opening set and after putting up a fight in the second frame, also went out with the same lethargy, giving away a total of 25 points off errors.