More than the perfect record and solo leadership, F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus is looking to build his team’s confidence going into the later rounds.
That explained why the strict, no-nonsense mentor hardly showed delight after his charges rolled past Sta. Lucia, 25-15, 25-14, 25-21, on Thursday night at Natalio Velez Sports and Cultural Center in Silay City, Negros Occidental.
The win was the sixth straight for the Cargo Movers, allowing them to pull away from the rest of the field in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference.
“Like what I said before, [elimination round] records don’t mean a thing,” De Jesus said in Filipino. “We are looking to build our confidence. Winning [in the eliminations] is never the measure [of success].”
The Cargo Movers’ performance should shore up the team’s confidence with the way Kalei Mau, Aby Maraño and Ara Galang fired away and threw off the Lady Realtors all afternoon.
Mau accounted for 14 points, Galang chipped in 11, while Maraño added 10. The Cargo Movers also dominated every department, including excellent sets, with Michelle Cobb tossing up 20 of those.
Still, De Jesus said they want to bolster their system enough to get through the quarterfinals without complications.
“It’s in the quarterfinals, whether you win or you lose, where it counts,” De Jesus said. “There’s no No. 1 team or No. 2 team. In the quarterfinals if you lose, that’s tough.”
The league format calls for a long double-round eliminations to determine the rankings of the eight teams in the knockout quarterfinals.
The Cargo Movers look like a lock for the top spot in the tournament after their latest victory.
Roselle Baliton, Marjana Phillips and Rachel Austero scored five points each for the Lady Realtors, who have lost five straight times after winning their opening match.
Cignal and Generika-Ayala were still locked in battle at press time.