Cagayan seeks quarter playoff

Games today

2 p.m. – Army vs Navy

4 p.m. – Cagayan vs Meralco

Standings            W            L

Cagayan               3              0

Army     1              0

Smart    3              1

Meralco               2              1

Air Force              1              2

PNP       0              2

FEU        0              3

Navy      0              1

MANILA, Philippines - Streaking Cagayan Province braces for a tough outing as it faces a souped-up Meralco side, looking for its fourth straight victory and at least a playoff for a quarterfinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 10 Open Conference at The Arena in San Juan today.

Holding off Air Force in four and clipping Smart-Maynilad and Philiippine Navy in straight sets gave Cagayan the view of the top with the Rising Suns eager to stretch their run to four against the surging Power Spikers.

With Chinese Coco Wang boosting Meralco’s threat at the net that includes Maureen Ouano, Maica Morada, Stephanie Mercado and Fille Cainglet, Meralco has become an instant title contender, staying in the upper half of the eight-team pack with a 2-1 mark.

But they will have to unleash so much power to stop the Rising Suns, who also boast of a pair of Thai guest players in Kannika Thipachot and Phomia Soraya.

Thipachot firms up Cagayan’s frontline rotation that includes leading spiker Angeli Tabaquero and Aiza Maizo while Soraya is the leading setter with eight per set in the early going of the tournament sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza.

That makes the 4 p.m. clash a match to watch with Cagayan also hoping to draw a solid game from Adamson stalwart Pau Soriano, who joined the team last week.

Meanwhile, powerhouse Army seeks a second straight win as it meets Navy in the 2 p.m. opener with the former looking for a follow-up to their three-set romp over Air Force last week.

The Army women hardly got going in their debut, dispatching their Air women counterparts in just 71 minutes with coach Rico De Guzman practically using seven players to get the job done.

But the likes of former MVP MJ Balse, Michelle Carolino, Joanne Bunag, Jovelyn Gonzaga and Cristina Salak are expected to get a little more busy on the net as they meet the Lady Sailors out to atone for a forgettable debut in the event backed by Mikasa and Accel.

Navy, which boasts of Michelle Laborte, Cecille Cruzada and Maria Praca, scored just 40 points against Cagayan last Friday although the Lady Sailors are expected to have settled down and come up with a stronger performance.