Lifesavers flex muscle

FIOLA Ceballos powers Generika-Ayala past Marinerang Pilipina. ROMAN PROSPERO

BACOOR CITY — Generika-Ayala was off to a flying start as it dominated Marinerang Pilipina, 25-19, 25-23, 25-17 in the opening salvo of the Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference Tuesday at the Bacoor STRIKE gym here.

Open spikers Fiola Ceballos, Mean Mendrez and Patty Orendain delivered the blows as they crushed the Lady Skippers’ defense with powerful smashes from start to finish.

Ceballos and Mendrez finished with 12 points apiece while Orendain chipped in 10 markers for the Lifesavers, who needed only one hour and 25 minutes to wrap up the contest in Pool B action.

What’s making the victory more impressive was the fact that the Lifesavers managed to deliver despite the absence of skipper Angeli Araneta, who suffered a knee injury in the latter part of the All-Filipino Conference last month.

“It was a good momentum-builder for us,” Ceballos said.

“It feels good to kick off the conference with a win and we hope we can continue this kind of intensity.”

Setter Jamie Lavitoria did a masterful job mapping the plays with 13 excellent sets and 15 digs while former University of Santo Tomas star Ria Meneses took the cudgels at the defensive end with seven points.

Libero Bia General also stepped up with 28 digs and six excellent receptions to fill in the shoes of national team member Kath Arado, who played sparingly as she just arrived early morning from the first leg of the Asean Grand Prix in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Cesca Racraquin was the lone bright spot with 14 points and 21 digs, but her efforts went down the drain as the Lady Skippers absorbed their 16th straight loss dating to last conference.

Marinerang Pilipina also gave up 28 errors compared to Generika-Ayala, which only committed 13 miscues.