LIPA City—It will be an all-Negros showdown in the battle for fifth and sixth places in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League for men.
Skipper Christian Marcelino had 15 points and five receptions as MRT-Negros snapped a two-match losing skid with a 25-20, 25-18, 25-20 win over Basilan Steel Spikers Amin-Anak Mindanao in the classification round on Thursday at the Aquamarine Recreational Center.
With nothing more than classification at stake, MRT-Negros still played with a lot of intensity to rule the one-hour, 20-minute contest.
Bannered by standouts from Negros Occidental, MRT-Negros forged a showdown with the Sabong International Spikers (SIS), whose talents are from Negros Oriental, at 10 a.m. Friday.
MRT-Negros hopes to score a repeat of its five-set conquest of SIS on opening day of
of the tournament that has Rebisco, Pitmaster Foundation Inc., Top Speed, 1Pacman Partylist, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee as platinum sponsors and F2 Logistics, Asics, PLDT, MVP Sports Foundation and Mikasa as gold sponsors and BCDA, Philippine Red Cross, Lipa City, Davis Paint and Emerald PVC Pipes, Fittings and Doors as silver sponsors with PNVF godfather, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Champions League, giving his full support.
Jet Nonoy and Jian Matthew Salarzon added six points while Leo Ordiales had five points for MRT-Negros.
Esmail Kasim scored 11 points for the Steel Spikers, who ended up in seventh place.