Petron goes for kill; F2 eyes to stop Bell

MANILA, Philippines – Pride and glory are at stake in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix best-of-three finals between Petron and F2 Logistics.

With one Grand Prix title apiece, both Petron and F2 Logistics are seeking to match the two crowns owned by Foton in the import-laced conference, which is billed as the toughest and most competitive in the country.

Petron ruled the Grand Prix in 2014 with Alaina Bergsma and Erica Adachi as imports.

But their fortune ran out when Lindsay Stalzer and Katie Messing powered the Tornadoes the following year. Then, Stalzer returned to conspire with Ariel Usher in leading Foton to a back-to-back title.

Last year, it was the Cargo Movers time to shine.

Most Valuable Player Maria Jose Perez and Kennedy Bryan towed F2 Logistics to a dramatic victory over a powerhouse Petron squad that was bannered by Stalzer and Hillary Hurley in the Grand Prix finals last year.

Now, both Petron and F2 Logistics are at it again.

And whoever emerges will be tied with Foton as the winningest club in the young history of the Grand Prix.

“We don’t want to happen what happened in the past,” said Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos, whose wards faded in the finals for the past three years.

“We already learned our lesson and we promised ourselves that we will give our best until it’s over. We’re just glad that we were given another opportunity to be in this situation and finally win the title.”

In the series opener, the Blaze Spikers showed that they wanted it more.

After a slow start, Katherine Bell sparked a furious fight back to put the Blaze Spikers back in contention.

She delivered eight of Petron’s last nine points en route to tallying 36 attacks, four aces and two blocks for a solid 42-hit effort.

But the Cargo Movers vowed not to go down without putting up a fight.

F2 Logistics head coach Arnold Laniog said their eyes are fixed on matching the back-to-back crowns of the Tornadoes and they will do their best to get the Blaze Spikers out of their way.

“We have to stop, if not contain, the production of Katherine Bell,” said Laniog, who is subbing in for newly crowned UAAP champion coach Ramil de Jesus.

“I can see in the players’ eyes that they really want to defend our title. If we can come up with strong services and better reception, we have a good chance of forging another Game Three.”