The Foton Tornadoes quelled one of their worst starts to a game this Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference and buckled down to slip past the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers 19-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-15, 15-7 at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The Tornadoes’ route to a 5-0 record was awash with self-inflicted setbacks early in the match. Failing to receive and defend efficiently, Foton stumbled into big deficits in the first two sets. The Lifesavers raced to a 15-9 lead in the opening frame then drove Foton to a 20-9 corner to seal a 2-0 sets lead.
“We couldn’t keep playing like that. It was not how we prepared for Generika-Ayala. We made a lot of mistakes in defense and attacking,” rued Foton head coach Moro Branislav about his team’s effort in the first two sets.
The 2016 Grand Prix champions seemingly shifted to a different gear to finish the match. FEU standout Heather Guino-o sparked a 7-0 Foton tally in the third set that broke a 12-all deadlock. Jaja Santiago then took the lead in the fourth set, scoring eight points to overwhelm the Lifesavers. In the fifth set, Ej Laure iced the match, powering in three hits in a blitz that gave the Tornadoes a decisive 9-4 advantage.
“Maybe it’s familiarity, maybe my team just no play good today. But it’s good that we could finish the match the way we did,” added the Serbian Branislav.
Grand Prix MVP Santiago fired in 26 points off 19 attacks, five aces and two blocks while Laure managed 20 markers.
With a 5-0 slate, Foton leads Cignal (3-1), Petron (3-1), and Generika (2-3) in Group C.
Bacolod-native Fiolla Ceballos topped the Lifesavers with 18 points while Patty Orendain managed 15.
The Scores:
Foton (3) – Santiago 26, Laure 20, Ortiz 9, Perez 5, Rosario 4, Berte 2, Guliman 2, Guino-o 2, De Leon 1, Negrito 1, Torres 0, Doria 0, Reyes (L)
Generika-Ayala (2) – Ceballos 18, Orendain 15, Casugod 13, Araneta 6, Cerveza 4, Lopez 4, Masangkay 1, Cortez 0, Adorador 0, Legacion 0, Buitre 0, General (L), Arado (L)
