Foton sweeps Petron, retains SLiga crown

MANILA, Philippines - Foton had some anxious moments before going for the kill to dominate Petron, 25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 25-17, and win the Asics Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix presented by PLDT Home Ultera crown last night at the Philsports Arena.

Riding high on the tandem of Ariel Usher and Lindsay Stalzer, the Tornadoes suffered some minor mishaps in the third set before regrouping for a strong finishing kick in the decider to conquer Game 2 of their best-of-three finals showdown of this prestigious inter-club tourney bankrolled by Mikasa, Senoh, Mueller and Grand Sport with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Usher finished with 16 kills and two blocks for 19 points while Stalzer chipped in 14 hits to serve as the Tornadoes’ two-headed monster that dominated the Tri-Activ Spikers in this series that is also sponsored by Focus Athletics, KLab Cyscorpions, Foton, Petron and F2 Logistics.

Jaja Santiago had 10 hits, but took home the tournament’s biggest prize when she was named as Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Joining Santiago in the “dream team” were outside spikers Stephanie Niemer of Petron and Usher, middle blockers Aby Marano of F2 Logistics and Maika Ortiz of Foton, opposite spikers Jovelyn Gonzaga of RC Cola-Army and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas of Petron, setter Kim Fajardo of F2 Logistics and libero Dawn Macandili of F2 Logistics.

With the win, the Tornadoes managed to defend their Grand Prix crown, which they won when they crushed Petron led by the Brazilian pair of Erica Adachi and Rupia Inck last year.

They also gained a ticket back to the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship, which would be held in Kazakhstan next year.

“Petron is a very good team, but we made some adjustments in the latter part of the game,” said Foton coach Moro Branislav, the 59-year old Serbian guru who was hired weeks before the start of the Grand Prix.

“The third set was a problem for us. But we solved it by playing competitive volleyball in the fourth set. Fortunately, the team delivered. They responded well to my challenge.”

After posting impressive wins in the first two sets, the Tornadoes found themselves walking on thin ice as the Tri-Activ Spikers waged a scorching comeback and tied the third set at 21.

Import Stephanie Warner connected an ace while Niemer delivered a pair of strong kills from the open position as Petron sealed the third set victory.

It was an entirely different story in the fourth set as Foton waxed hot with Usher towing the Tornadoes to a 16-10 lead entering the second technical timeout en route to a 25-17 victory.