Greatness is subjective.
Whether or not the 2016 PSL Grand Prix Foton Tornadoes are the best local club team ever can still be up to debate. But there is no denying the Tornadoes’ back-to-back championships and the dominant journey they took to get there.
Their coronation was befitting of their brilliance: in front of a rowdy gallery of their fans, Foton thumped the celebrated Petron Tri-Activ Spikers, one of the only teams to put up a fight against them, 25-20, 25-20, 22-25 , 25-17, to clinch the sweep of their best-of-three finals series at the historic PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Petron had the tireless Stephanie Niemer, possibly the best import to ever play in Philippine shores, but the Tornadoes had daunting length and crisp chemistry.
Early in the season Foton looked like a hero in an origin movie, struggling to grasp their newly-found power. But the Tornadoes film reached their climax in Game One, rallying from a 0-2 set deficit to take the match. Come Game Two, the Tornadoes were already unstoppable.
Foton breezed through the opening two sets, quelling all Petron rallies to come within a set of the title. The Tornadoes ended up blowing a four-point lead in the third set, extending the match to a fourth frame.
Foton’s season was as much about getting over adversity as it was dominating the league. And so, in the fourth set, the Tornadoes refused to let Petron get even a sniff of the lead, blitzing the Tri-Activ Spikers, 22-14, and never looking back.
“It feels great, this is what we worked hard for. There were some rough points but we conquered all those adversity,” said Stalzer who was the MVP of last season’s Grand Prix.
Foton are the only team in PSL history to claim back-to-back Grand Prix gold.
