Petron survives Philips Gold to open PSL Philippine Cup campaign

MANILA, Philippines—Overcoming a strong late rally, Petron slapped down Philips Gold, 25-16, 25-18, 25-23, as the Philippine Super Liga (PSL) Grand Prix champions started their All-Filipino Conference on a good note on Saturday evening.

Philips Gold tied the third set at 22-22 after a blistering 12-4 run that shell-shocked the Blaze Spikers.

Dindin Santiago-Manabat, however, stood tall for Petron halting the Lady Slammers’ run  with a booming kill and Fille Cainglet-Cayetano giving them the match point with a through the block hit.

Rosanne Fajardo negated Petron’s match point but a Philips Gold error sealed the victory for the Blaze Spikers.

Petron assistant coach Edjet Mabbayad said the third set rally of Philips Gold pressured them especially with ace scorer Rachelle Anne Daquis out on a promotional tour with PLDT.

“There was pressure on our part especially when they (Philips Gold) went on that run,” Mabbayad said. “But we shouldn’t take pressure negatively; we should look at it in a positive light.”

Santiago-Manabat had 13 points for Petron while Frances Molina and Aby Maraño combined for 14.

Myla Pablo led Philips Gold with 13 points of her own.