Tornadoes sweep past Blaze Spikers

MANILA, Philippines – Foton sustained its hot charge in the Philippine Superliga, turning back defending champion Petron Blaze with a shock 14-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22 victory last night and moving in the threshold of snaring the PSL Grand Prix crown at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Riding the crest of their equally stunning 25-18, 26-24, 18-25, 20-25, 15-8 victory over the top seeded Philips Gold Lady Slammers in the knockout semis last week, the Tornadoes came through with another inspiring play, battling back from a set down to sweep the next three and defang the heavily favored Blaze Spikers for the first time in the tournament.

“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 last last year.

Lindsay Stalzer went on attack mode once again, firing a match-best 25 hits, including a whopping 23 on kills, while fellow import Kathleen Messing and Jaja Santiago banged in 17 and 10 points, respectively.

But it was the power-spiking Stalzer who took charge as the Tornadoes mounted a huge fightback in the second frame.

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

Fil-Am Kayla Tiangco-Williams blocked Dindin Santiago to seal the match, triggering a frenzied celebration by the Tornadoes at center court as if they’ve already won the championship.

But it did feel like one after two painful defeats to Petron in the elims.

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

Despite the win, de Leon said their mission is far from over.

“We just won one game. We need another victory to become champions so we have to go back to work,” she said.

Game Two is set Monday while a decider, if necessary, will be played on Dec. 5, both at the Astrodome.

The Blaze Spikers appeared headed for a cruise after dominating the opening set only to be stunned by the Tornadoes’ big bounce-back in the second.

Foton sustained its charge in the pivotal third then wore down Petron with clutch hits from its troika of six-footers to complete the reversal in four.