Petron, RC Cola blast foes in PSL

MANILA, Philippines - Heavyweights Petron and RC Cola-Army gained their share of lead after blasting their respective foes in the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.

The Tri-Activ Spikers flirted with disaster before escaping with a 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 27-25 victory over Generika while the Lady Troopers made short work of Cignal, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20, in the main game of the club tourney bankrolled by KLab Cyscorpions, Asics, Grand Sports, Mikasa, Mueller and Senoh with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

With the victory, Petron and RC Cola-Army are now tied with idle F2 Logistics on top of the team standings with a 2-0 slate, leaving other heavy contenders like Foton (1-1) and Generika (1-2) behind in the early stretch of this battle.

Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, the prolific opposite hitter from UST, was brilliant from start to finish as she delivered 16 hits for a total of 17 points while rookie Bernadeth Pons chipped in 16 markers for the Tri-Activ Spikers, who looked fierce and deadly despite undergoing a massive revamp in the off-season.

“I told our setter (Acy Masangkay) to look for Aiza,” said Petron coach George Pascua. “Aiza is a veteran. She has the experience. I know she will bail us out during crucial situations.”

But the revelation was Cherry Rose Nunag.

A 5-foot-10 middle blocker from De La Salle-Dasmariñas, Nunag scored only four points, but provided the crucial block in the deciding set to give the Tri-Activ Spikes a razor-thin 25-24 advantage.

Shaya Adorador fired back to square the count at 25, but Maizo-Pontillas scored on a kill before Nunag put an emphatic end to a long rally by dropping a beautiful smash off a quick play.

“They (Generika) are still not familiar to Nunag’s game so we went to her down the stretch,” Pascua added. “I told the team to know their spikers, identify their strengths and weaknesses because it will be our weapon in the crucial stretch. Fortunately, they know Nunag so well.”

Meanwhile, Jovelyn Gonzaga led the scoring parade with 13 points for the Lady Troopers, who had some anxious moments early on before going for the kill in the second and third sets.

“We just enjoyed the game,” said RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Reyes, who is looking for their fourth PSL title. “Although we need rest, I’m glad that we’re slowly regaining our form. We’re now about 75 percent and still continuing to improve.”

Carmela Tunay delivered nine kills to serve as the lone bright spot for the HD Spikers, who have yet to win in two outings.