Petron runs past Foton, books return trip to PSL Invitationals Finals

BULACAN — Riding the crest of an unbeaten surge through the preliminaries, Petron punched its ticket to the Finals, walloping the Foton Tornadoes in straight sets, 25-17, 25-14, 25-16, in the knockout semifinals of the 2019 PSL Invitationals, Tuesday at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.

The Blaze Spikers dictated the tempo of the match right from the opening whistle. They seized control in the first set, relying on the searing airborne attacks commandeered by Sisi Rondina.

The Blaze Spikers then continued to step hard on the gas in the second frame. From a 10-all stalemate, Rondina steered Petron to a 16-10 edge. The troika of Ces Molina, Chloe Cortez and Rem Palma then churned out a scoring barrage that pushed the Blaze Spikers to a 24-14 spread. Rondina delivered the set-clinching hit to take a 2-0 set buffer.

Petron extended its dominance in the third set and sprinted to a sizable cushion, cruising to its 11th Finals appearance.

The Blaze Spikers will now set their sights against the victor of the match between defending champion F2 Logistics and Cignal in the do-or-die title bout, which starts on Thursday at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig.