Inaasahang maninibago ang RC Cola-Army sa pagbabalik sa Philippine Superliga (PSL) sa paglatag ng Invitational women’s volleyball tournament sa Pebrero 18 sa The Arena sa San Juan.
Nagbalik ang Lady Troopers, tatlong ulit nagkampeon sa liga bago pansamantalang nagpahinga, target na muling buhayin ang dominasyon sa women’s league.
“It’s now an entirely different ballgame,” pahayag ni RC Cola-Army coach Emilio “Kungfu” Reyes.
“Yes, we dominated the league, but that was three years ago. A lot of things already happened, a lot of young players got stronger. We’re not really sure if we can still win the way we used to be,” aniya.
'Pikon daw?' UAAP fan na nag-dirty finger, agaw-eksena sa San Juan Arena!
Inilarawan ni Reyes ang koponan na “walking wounded” dahil wala pa umano sa kondisyon ang setter na si Tina Salak, gayundin ang iba pang beteranang sina Michelle Carolino, Mary Jean Balse-Pabayo at Joanne Bunag. Pawang na sa edad 30 pataas ang apat na dating National standout.
Sa kabila nito, optimistiko si Reyes na lalabas ang kahusayan nina nina Jovelyn Gonzaga, Honey Royse Tubino, Tin Agno, at Rachel Anne Daquis na matatandaang bumida para sa tagumpay ng Petron sa nakalipas na All-Filipino Cup.
“Tina is not 100 percent ready. Her knees are already bothering her,” sambit ni Reyes, coach din sa University of Santo Tomas sa UAAP.
Sinabi ni Reyes na ang Foton ang “team to watch” pati na rin ang Petron at bagong sali na San Jose Builders at F2 Logistics.
“But among them, Cignal is the deadliest,” aniya.
“Look at their lineup, all of them are young and hungry. Some of them came from (College of) Saint Benilde which won the NCAA title recently. They also have a veteran in (Michelle) Laborte who can guide them. They are a complete team.” (ANGIE OREDO)
