The Petron Blaze Spikers completed a decisive sweep of the Invitational Cup’s first round with a four-set triumph over fiery the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers, 25-11, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The Blaze Spikers were deadly efficient when they played their first six. In the only set they won, Generika took advantage of the mandatory player switching rule, using a solid six to pummel the shorter Petron bench.
The Blaze Spikers immediately regained momentum in the third set, burying Generika in an insurmountable 16-9 hole. Petron then saw a four-point lead evaporate in the fourth frame, with Generika rallying to keep the set close. Tied at 18, Petron took the match in a blaze, taking seven of the last eight points to run away with sweep.
Firmly fixed in the next round, where they will compete with a Japanese guest club, Petron head coach Shaq Delos Santos emphasized the need for better preparation.
“Mas kailangan pa namin mag-practice dahil ibang usapan na yun. Yung elimination round, nag-aadjust pa kami. Next round, mas kailangan na namin maging consistent — mas lalo na sa receive,” said Delos Santos.
Petron ace left-side hitter Ces Molina led all scorers with 13 points. The Blaze Spikers lorded it over Generika in attacking, 53-38. and limited their errors to 23.
Twin towers Angeli Araneta and Geneveve Casugod led the Lifesavers with 11 and 10 points respectively.
Generika’s 2-3 record removes them from contention for the next round. They will compete in the classification phase with eliminated squads Cocolife and Sta. Lucia.
The Scores
Petron (3) – Molina 13, Pontillas 8, Tunay 8, Rosario 7, Reyes 6, Dimaculangan 5, Pineda 4, Hingpit 1, Zapanta 0, Dusaran (L)
Generika (1) – Araneta 11, Casugod 10, Ceballos 8, Lopez 6, Orendain 5, Masangkay 3, Cerveza 2, Eupena 2, Salamagos 2, Legacion 1, General (L)
