Shutting down their opponents’ best scoring options, the Petron Blaze Spikers booked the last seat to the PSL All-Filipino Cup Finals, racing past the Foton Tornadoes, 25-21, 22-25, 25-9, 25-16, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
After a troublesome second set, Petron found their groove and blasted Foton the rest of the match. For Blaze Spikers head coach Shaq Delos Santos, their serving was instrumental in the win.
“Noong second set kasi nawalan kami ng serve at receive. Makikita naman na ‘yung kalaban puro hard serves kami medyo nag-relax doon. ‘Yun lang naman ang naging difference at ‘yung sinabi ko lang sa players na mag-enjoy at huwag masyadong ma-tense,” remarked Delos Santos.
The third set turned into a romp, as Petron quickly took a 14-4 lead thanks to solid serving from Ces Molina. The Blaze Spikers then erased a 13-all deadlock in the fourth set and blitzed the slumping Tornadoes with a 7-1 run to end the match.
“Sobrang importante sa amin na makapasok ng Finals ngayon kasi nga talagang binigyan kami ng suporta ng management na kumuha ng players. Pero hindi pa tapos, kailangan pa namin maghanda sa Finals,” added Delos Santos.
FEU standout Bernadeth Pons led Petron with 20 points, while Aiza Maizo-Pontillas managed 14.
Foton only had Jaja Santiago score in double-digits with 16, which pales compared to her usual 20-plus outputs.
The Finals begins on Tuesday, as Petron face F2 Logistics in Game One of the best-of-three.
The Scores
Petron (3) – Pons 20, Pontillas 14, Reyes 11, Molina 8, Palma 4, Basas 3, Dimaculangan 3, Aganon 2, Rondina 1, Hingpit 0, Meneses 0, Tunay 0, Duremdes (L).
Foron (1) – Santiago 16, Laure 9, Berte 7, Rosario 6, Ortiz 5, Perez 3, De Leon 1, Guino-O 1, Negrito 1, Doria 0, Guliman 0, Reyes (L).
