Choco Mucho and Cignal seek to bolster their semifinal bids when they tackle separate rivals Thursday, Nov. 3, at the resumption of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.
The Flying Titans collide against the Akari Chargers at 5:30 p.m. while the HD Spikers clash with the United Auctioneers-Army Lady Troopers at 2:30 p.m.
Toting an even 2-2 slate at joint third with F2 Logistics, Choco Mucho hopes to catch up at the leaderboard and bounce back from a four-set defeat against first semifinalist Chery Tiggo last Oct. 25.
Odina Aliyeva, who has been fueling the Flying Titans with consistent double-digit numbers, is expected to step up along with Kat Tolentino, Cherry Nunag and setter Deanna Wong.
Equally hungry to regain their composure are the Chargers, who aim to snap their three-game skid including that four-set loss to the Creamline Cool Smashers last Oct. 27 that put them near the bottom at 1-4.
Set to challenge Choco Mucho’s frontline are Prisilla Rivera, Erika Raagasa and Jho Maraguinot.
In the other pairing, Cignal is set to work doubly hard to catch up with the leaders as they are scheduled to play five matches in the last nine playdates including their postponed game against Choco Mucho last weekend.
Led by American Tai Bierra, Rachel Daquis and Ces Molina, the HD Spikers are determined to improve their 1-2 win-loss mark.
Army, for its part, is in a must-win situation with coach Kungfu Reyes expecting to draw the best from Canadian Laura Condotta and locals Jovelyn Gonzaga, Royse Tubino, Jeanette Villareal, Joanne Bunag, Ivy Perez and Ging Pabayo.