The Foton Tornadoes maintained their perfect start to the 2017 Chooks-to-Go Philippine Superliga Grand Prix after out-muscling the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers, 25-22, 25-22, 25-16, in the league’s special Spike On Tour leg at the University of Saint La Salle-Bacolod Coliseum.
Foton kept their noses ahead in the first two sets thanks to solid defense and limiting their errors. After losing the first set thanks to late bad passes, Generika succumbed in the second set after a giving up errors in three of the frame’s last four points.
By the third set, Generika had run out of solutions, allowing the Tornadoes to waltz to a 16-6 lead and sealing the match’s outcome early.
Seeing every match as critical to his team’s buildup towards three-peat form, Foton head coach Moro Branislav saw plenty of room for improvement despite their three-set win.
“I’m not very happy with result. The team still needs to get better,” the Serbian emphasized.
“We want to be in good condition by the quarterfinals. Maybe if we get 3-0 win in quarterfinals, I’ll be more happy. Right now, I’m thinking about our matches with Petron, F2 Logistics, and Sta. Lucia. We need to be ready for them,” Branislav added.
Serbian winger Sara Klisura topped Foton with 18 points while Dragana Perunicic, Jaja Santiago and Maika Ortiz pitched in eight points apiece.
Croatian Katarina Pilepic was the lone bright spot for Generika with 17 points.
Foton (3-0) faces the Iriga City Oragons (1-0) on Tuesday at the FilOil Flying V Centre. Generika (1-3) also takes on Iriga City on Thursday at the same venue.
The Scores
Foton (3) – Klisura 18, Ortiz 8, Perunicic 8, Santiago 8, Rosaria 6, Laure 2, De Leon 1, Perez 0, Sabas 0, Yongco 0, Vukomanovic (L)
Generika-Ayala (0) – Pilepic 17, Ramdin 5, Araneta 4, Casugod 4, Snuka 4, Cortez 3, Ceballos 2, Adorador 0, Legacio 0, Lopez 0, Masangkay 0, Arado (L)