MANILA, Philippines – Reeling from a four-set setback to the surging Foton side, fancied Petron tries to regroup and keep its title-retention bid going in Game 2 of the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix women’s volleyball finals at the Astrodome on Monday.
Blaze Spikers’ coach George Pascua yesterday vowed to bounce back when they take on the fired-up Tornadoes anew. This is the first time that the powerhouse Petron lags behind in a finals series.
When they won their first Grand Prix crown with Alaina Bergsma and Erika Adachi as reinforcements, the Blaze Spikers swept the Generika side in dominant fashion then posted a 10-game sweep of the All-Filipino Conference elims before beating the Shopinas squad in the finals.
“This is the first time (we trail in the finals series) so we treat it as a challenge,” said Petron coach George Pascua.
In Game 1, Petron, bannered by Adachi, Dindin Manabat, Rupia Inck and Aby Marano, took the opening set but faltered in the next three as it struggled with a so-so net defense and yielded unforced errors. The Blaze Spikers also sputtered with their vaunted attacking game.
The Blaze Spikers also allowed the Tornadoes’ triple-tower of Lindsay Stalzer, Katie Messing and Jaja Santiago to dominate on both ends while Filipino-Jamaican Kayla Tiangco-Williams asserted her will on the defensive end in the crucial stretch of the fourth.
“Our problem was they were carried away by their emotions,” said Pascua. “Actually, volleyball is more of psychological rather than physical. We lost Game One because they played based on emotions, not on their willingness to and desire to win.”
But the Blaze Spikers hope to make the necessary adjustments and dish out the games expected of them in a bid to force a winner-take-all match in the event presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Mikasa, Senoh and Mueller as technical partners and TV5 as official broadcaster.
“They have to enjoy the game so as to ease the pressure. If you’re energized, the rest will be better motivated,” added Pascua.