STA. LUCIA Realty could miss three important players for the rest of the 2018 Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga (PSL) Invitational Conference.
New recruit and former Ateneo de Manila star Jho Maraguinot could sit out the whole midseason conference—which only runs for one month—because of a muscle strain on her knee.
Sta. Lucia’s new opposite spiker Toni Rose Basas is also uncertain to complete the tournament to recover from an operation in her infected ear.
Libero Rica Rivera is out of the tournament and will return in the All-Filipino Cup because of a knee injury she sustained playing for University of Santo Tomas in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
The Lady Realtors sorely felt the absence of the three as they opened their Pool B campaign with a loss to Smart, 14-24, 16-25, 23-25, late Monday at the Fioil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Nobody from Sta. Lucia scored in double figures, with Filipino-American spiker MJ Phillips leading the team with eight hits.
Sta. Lucia Head Coach George Pascua, however, remained confident.
“My remaining players are very capable to take bigger responsibilities. We just have to lessen our errors,” said Pascua, whose wards committed 26 errors against Smart.
The women’s national volleyball team, meanwhile, will only play three matches in the Invitational—against Cocolife on July 7, Cignal on July 10 and Smart on July 12.
National team coach Shaq de los Santos asked for the limited matches because he doesn’t want the his players to face their mother clubs.
F2 Logistics has six national players, Foton has four, Petron three, including de los Santos, and Sta. Lucia has two.
