LIVING up to pre-tournament billing as heavy contender, Est Cola hardly encountered trouble in crushing F2 Logistics, 25-14, 25-15, 25-17, Thursday in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Center.
Unleashing their fast plays and heavy sets at the onset, the Thais were impressive throughout the 66-minute battle to tally their first win in the final round of this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, Senoh and Grand Sport with TV5 as official broadcast partner.
Veteran international campaigner Sutadta Cheuwulim, a last-minute replacement to teen sensation Chatchu-on Moksri, poured all her 18 points on spikes, while Sasipaporn Janthawisut had 12 markers for Est Cola, which pushed F2 Logistics out of its comfort zone early on before going for the kill in the crucial stretch of the deciding set.
“I know No. 3 (Aby Marano) and No. 11 (Cha Cruz) are their key players because I already saw them compete,” said Est Cola coach Chamnan Dokmai. “That’s why we tried to hit them from the service box to interrupt the flow of their offense. I’m glad that it worked.”
Marano and Cruz served as anchors of the PSL All-Star team that saw action in the Thai-Denmark Super League in Bangkok two weeks ago, giving them a sneak peak of what to expect against top-caliber international teams like Est Cola.
Marano delivered five kills, two blocks and an ace for an eight-point effort, while Cruz had six kills and an ace for seven markers for the home squad, which is getting used to the international brand of play due to the exposure given it by the PSL.
