F2, Petron, Foton press hot drives

MANILA, Philippines — F2 Logistics and Petron eye to keep their one-two spots while Foton seeks to sustain its streak when they collide with separate foes in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference triple header today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

After completing a clean sweep of the first round, the Cargo Movers plunge back to second-round action when they battle the slumping Sta. Lucia side in the 2 p.m. curtain-raiser.

The defending champion Blaze Spikers take the floor at 4:15 p.m. against Cignal, looking to extend their win run to six games in bid to stay within striking distance of the Cargo Movers.

Foton, on the other hand, plays PLDT at 7 p.m., shooting for a fifth straight victory.

The Tornadoes are tied with the Generika-Ayala Lifesavers at third place at 5-3, going into today’s bill.

While perennial contenders F2 and Petron are expected to put on a show against Sta. Lucia and Cignal, much focus is also on Foton which is slowly regaining its status as one of the forces to be reckoned with.

After a poor 1-3 start, the Tornadoes have notched four straight victories including a classic come-from-behind win over the Lady Realtors, 18-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-15, 15-4, to open their second-round campaign.

“We still have to double and triple our effort,” said Foton coach Aaron Velez. “This round is the phase where all teams fight for a spot to the quarterfinals. So if we want to be in a good position, we have to work hard for it.”

Likely to banner the Tornadoes’ mission for a fifth consecutive win is towering hitter Jaja Santiago who torched the Lady Realtors with 22 points on 14 kills, six blocks and two service aces last Tuesday.

Marian Buitre and Dindin Santiago-Manabat are expected to back her up after piling up 15 and 13 markers, respectively, last outing.