Angels, Flying Titans out to dodge upset axe facing lower-ranked foes
Second-ranked Petro Gazz and fifth-seeded Choco Mucho set out on Saturday probably having one thing in mind: not follow Cignal’s way.
After the HD Spikers became the first team from the upper half of the KO draw to drop to the loser’s bracket in the PVL All-Filipino Conference, the Angels and the Flying Titans take their turns facing lower-ranked foes and would obviously not want to hit the showers this early in the centerpiece tournament.
Brooke Van Sickle leads the Angels in the 4 p.m. contest against 11th-ranked Capital1, while Deanna Wong orchestrates the Choco Mucho offense against No. 5 Chery Tiggo in the 6 p.m. game with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.
Shock of tournament
“I think our team did a really good job in the preliminaries,” Van Sickle said after the Angels finished 10-1. “I thought that we stayed consistent. It didn’t matter who was playing and to come out with only one loss, I feel like it’s good for our confidence before moving to the playoffs.
“I’m just proud of the team and I hope we can continue with this energy,” said Van Sickle.
Cignal was on the losing end of the shock of the tournament after bowing to No. 11 Galleries Tower two nights before. For the HD Spikers to play on, they must finish in the top two of the play-in tournament to make the quarterfinals.
That loss also sparked talks of “tanking” with the talent-rich Rookie Draft set in four months’ time, as finishing out of the quarterfinals will give the bottom four teams the first four picks in the lottery that could include National U’s Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon and even Angel Canino of La Salle.
The Highrisers, meanwhile, missed the chance to add stock to a wanting roster with the win, as they get to pick in the middle part of the first round even if they lose their quarterfinal series.
Defending champion Creamline was the second team to make the quarterfinals after a straight-sets win over Nxled also on Thursday.
Long winning streak
Capital1 faces a formidable challenge with Petro Gazz coming off nine straight wins, including three consecutive shutouts.
Petro Gazz has, as Van Sickle, support hitters like Myla Pablo, Aiza Pontillas, Remy Palma and Nicole Tiamzon.
Meanwhile, the Chery Tiggo-Choco Mucho tiff promises to be close.
Coach Norman Miguel will rely on Cess Robles, Ara Galang, Julia Samonte, Mary Rhose Dapol, Seth Rodriguez, Cza Carandang, Pauline Gaston and Shaya Adorador to deliver clutch performances against a talent-stacked Choco Mucho squad led by the explosive Sisi Rondina.
The play-in tournament, or loser’s bracket, will have two groups, with the first composed of the seventh-, 10th- and 11th-ranked team and the second having eighth, ninth and 12th seeds. Both groups will compete in a single round-robin, with the top teams securing the last two quarterfinal spots.
