Lifesavers snuff Smart in PSL All-Filipino Conference
Red-hot Generika-Ayala again displayed its deadly form as it coasted to a 25-19, 25-12, 25-15 victory over Smart in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference yesterday at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
Patty Orendain provided the spark for the Lifesavers, who stretched their winning streak to three after opening this prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, Senoh, Sogo, Mikasa, Asics, Mueller, UCPB Gen and Bizooku with a pair of setbacks.
Orendain, the high-flying open spiker from Bacolod City, delivered 18 points, 13 digs and 10 excellent receptions as Generika-Ayala climbed the team standings with a 3-3 win-loss card.
Libero Kath Arado said they know Smart is such a veteran and very disciplined team so defeating it in straight set is quite impossible, especially in this tough tourney that also has ESPN5, Hyper HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners.
“To be honest, we didn’t expect to win in straight sets. We know that Smart is such a strong team with an intact core,” said Arado, the University of the East star who has been consistently manning to backline for the Lifesavers.
“But we just did our best and we executed everything we did in practice. Those were the keys that led to this victory.”
After barging into the win column via convincing wins over erstwhile leader F2 Logistics and Sta. Lucia, the Lifesavers marched to the warpath oozing with confidence.
But after racing to a 16-9 lead in the third set, Aiko Urdas sparked a mini-rally to allow the Giga Hitters to move closer, 12-20, until Orendain restored order and towed the Lifesavers to match point.
Skipper Angeli Araneta chipped in eight markers while Ria Meneses had seven points for Generika-Ayala, which displayed tremendous improvement under former Ateneo coach Sherwin Meneses.
Grethcel Soltones tallied six points for Smart, which slid to 2-3.
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