Foton continues Cinderella run, stuns Petron in finals opener

MANILA, Philippines – Foton continued its fairy tale run as it turned back defending champion Petron Blaze with a shock 14-25 25-21 25-19 25-22 victory Thursday night to move on the verge of snaring the 2015 Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix crown at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Riding the crest of a stunning 25-18, 26-24, 18-25, 20-25, 15-8 victory over top seed Philips Gold last week, the Tornadoes came through with another inspiring play in eking out their first win against the heavily-favored Blaze Spikers whom the former lost in the elimination twice.

"I guess you can call us a Cinderella team because we didn't really fare well last year and we're the fourth seed coming into the semis," said Foton coach Maria Ponce de Leon, whose squad finished dead last a season ago.

Lindsay Stalzer was on beast mode and unleashed a match-best 25 hits including a whopping 23 on kills while fellow import Kathleen Messing and Jaja Santiago scattered 17 and 10 points, respectively.

It was the power-spiking Stalzer who turned it around when the Tornadoes mounted a huge fightback after dropping the opening set.

"I hope this win make people stop underestimating us," said Stalzer.

Fil-Am Kayla Tiangco-Williams blocked Dindin Santiago to seal the match and trigger frantic celebration by Foton at centercourt as if it has already won the championship.

It felt like one after two painful defeats to Petron going into the finals.

"We were tentative in our two losses against them. We adjusted by playing aggressive and confident," said de Leon.

Despite the win, de Leon said the job isn't complete.

"We just won a game. We need another victory to become champion so we have to go back to work," she said.

Game Two is on Monday while a decider, if necessary,  is on December 5 both at the same venue.

It looked like though that Petron, the favorite coming into the series after reigning supreme last year, is a lock to win a second straight crown after breezing through the first set with plenty to spare.

It turned out the Blaze Spikers' last show of force as Stalzer and the Tornadoes turned the tables on the former to steal the win.