The San Miguel Beermen hope that their championship run rubs off on their sisters
The Petron Blaze Spikers had a surprise guest to open their Final Round campaign in the 2017 PSL Invitational Cup as the San Miguel Beermen, a team that had recently won their third straight Philippine Cup, watched from the sidelines.
Beermen co-captains Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot, together with Finals MVP Chris Ross, RR Garcia, and Rashawn McCarthy, intensely watched the Blaze Spikers when they took on the Cignal HD Spikers on Thursday evening. All five of them squirmed when Cignal picked up a point, and applauded every outstanding play that went Petron’s way.
“This is my third or fourth time to watch a volleyball game. I like it man! The competition is intense and me and my guys are having a good time,” Ross shared.
“It’s always exciting. These girls are hardworking players just like us,” added Cabagnot, who is starting to become a fan of the sport.
“So, I really admire what they do. Just watching them perform in their game, it’s awesome to watch.”
Santos, a former PBA MVP back when the Beermen had been known as the Petron Blaze Boosters, firmly believes that this batch of Blaze Spikers have what it takes to take home the Invitational crown.
“Why not? Nakita mo naman ‘yung maliban sa may championship experience din sila, ang lineup nila talagang buong-buo na rin,” declared Santos, who had played volleyball as a kid.
Meanwhile, both Ross and Cabagnot hope that their journey through the recently-concluded Philippine Cup can inspire Petron to rally back from the 0-1 hole they are in.
“I’m hoping they can win it, then we win again, then it goes back and forth,” Ross quipped.
“Last conference, they had a good team but unfortunately, they fell short. Hopefully they could do it this time around!”
“Petron has a winning tradition. I think they’ve won two championships before so they know how to get it done,” proclaimed Cabagnot, who also played under the Petron banner before.
“We’re just here to cheer for them and give as much love to them.”
