Defending champion Petron handed the erstwhile-unbeaten F2 Logistics to a heartbreaker, Thursday.
The Blaze Spikers displayed composure and championship mettle, crawling back from two sets down and dealing the Cargo Movers their first loss of the 2019 PSL All-Filipino Conference, 26-28, 27-29, 25-19, 25-20, 15-6, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Petron sits atop the perch with a 12-1 card while sending its first-round tormentor, F2 Logistics, down to solo second with an 11-1 slate.
Momentum and Lady Luck were on the side of the Blaze Spikers in the decider. They gained leverage on a string of costly errors from the side of F2 Logistics all the while punishing the opposition with a plethora of attacks in a blistering 10-0 headstart that put them in the lead for good.
Rondina, who missed the first round encounter, was the game-changer in the five-set win. She hammered 22 points built on 21 attacks and a block to lead Petron, which saw all but one spiker fielded chalk a point.
Ces Molina contributed 19 attacks and a block to finish with 21 points. Pons and Mika Reyes were also instrumental in the victory. The former had a 16-point, 22-dig double-double performance while the latter supplied two of her team’s six aces en route to 10 markers.
Rhea Dimaculangan churned out the offense for Petron with 32 excellent sets on top of four points, three of which coming from the service area.
Denden Lazaro, who was also not present last time around, anchored on defense, tallying 29 excellent digs and 19 excellent receptions.
Though F2 Logistics had the chance to slam the door shut in the third and fourth sets and prevent an uphill battle with Petron, the latter had other ideas.
“Down kami, siyempre medyo nalulungkot na kasi yung galaw namin hindi pa nailabas pero nung first two sets namin hindi naman kami nagpabaya ang difference lang is two points,” said Petron head coach Shaq Delos Santos.
“Sabi ko sa kanila kuhanin lang natin every set. Marami pang pwedeng magandang mangyari,” he added.
Rondina and Pons joined hands to widen a precarious 17-16 cushion into a comfortable 23-18 spread in the third frame.
Carrying momentum into the ensuing set, the Blaze Spikers raced to a commanding 22-14 gap. The Cargo Movers though willed a 6-2 surge behind their solid floor defense and offensive exploits of Kalei Mau, but Pons nailed a down-the-line hit that brought the game back to square one.
Mau had a game-high 25 points off 23 attacks and three aces. She also patrolled on defense with 22 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions to complete a triple-double outing that went down the drain.
Majoy Baron chipped 15 points spiked by four blocks while Ara Galang notched a double-double of 14 points and 12 excellent receptions.
F2 Logistics skipper Aby Maraño managed nine markers while Michelle Cobb dished 32 excellent sets laced with two points.
Petron looks to sustain momentum when it faces Foton to close out its prelims campaign while F2 Logistics will try to make a quick return to the win column against PLDT. Both games will be played on Saturday at the Corpus Christi Gymnasium in Cagayan De Oro City.
