Foton seeks last F4 berth vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines - Foton faces winless Meralco today, hoping to nail the fourth and last semifinal berth even as Philips Gold sets out to formalize its Final Four entry against RC Cola-Air Force in the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan today.

The Tornadoes need only to prevail in their 4 p.m. encounter with the Meralco side to improve to 5-3 and complete the semis cast regardless of the outcome of the other game since RC Cola, even if it wins and sweeps its next two games, won’t go over four wins.

But expect Philips Gold to likewise go for a win over RC Cola in their 6 p.m. clash as the Lady Slammers try to build some momentum heading to the next round.

Petron and Cignal booked the first two semis slots with identical 6-2 cards with Philips Gold, with a 5-2 mark, and Foton tipped to book the last two slots in the semis of the inter-club tournament presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Senoh, Mueller and Mikasa as technical partners and TV5 as official broadcaster.

Philips Gold thwarted Meralco, 25-12, 26-24, 25-19, over the weekend at the Malolos Covention Center in Bulacan but coach Francis Vicente remains wary of their chances against RC-Cola-Air Force.

“We have to guard ourselves against complacency,” said Vicente. “All teams are capable of making a comeback, especially RC Cola. They know that the stakes are high and they will do everything to remain in contention. We have to be ready.”

Despite being billed as pre-tournament darkhorse for enlisting an active member of the Puerto Rican national team in Lynda Morales and Kansas star Sara McClinton as well as national team mainstays Rhea Dimaculangan and Maika Ortiz, RC Cola-Air Force could only post a win against six losses, including a four-set defeat from Cignal in its previous game.