Superior on every front, Petron Blaze overpowered Shopinas, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19, Monday night to move on the cusp of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino title at Imus Sports Complex in Imus, Cavite.
The Blaze Spikers came out ferocious after a long break, pouncing on the sluggish Clickers to gain the headstart in their best-of-three championship series.
With Dindin Santiago-Manabat on the firing end, the Blaze Spikers found their attacking rhythm early, before cruising in the last two sets to hack out the victory in an hour and 18 minutes.
Armed with the most talented roster in the league, Petron can clinch the title—and pull off a tournament sweep—with a win in Game 2 on Thursday at Cuneta Astrodome.
“With the way we played, I think we have a good chance of winning Game 2,” said Petron coach George Pascua, whose squad has now won 12 straight matches.
Picking up from where they left off in the first set, the Blaze Spikers opened the second frame with an 8-1 blitz. So dominant were the Blaze Spikers that they built an unassailable 21-3 lead en route to taking the set.
Manabat scattered 16 points while Maica Morada finished with nine for the Blaze Spikers who posted a 39-25 edge on attack points.
Petron also scored eight points off service aces with setter Mary Grace Masangkay accounting for three, while Abigail Maraño had two of the Blaze Spikers’ five block points.
The Clickers were doomed by 23 errors as they found difficulty getting their attack going. Poor reception also hastened the fall of Shopinas, which was paced by Cha Cruz’s 13 points.
The Blaze Spikers also drew strength from Rachel Anne Daquis and Frances Molina who combined for 13 points.
Except for Cruz, no other player churned out a double-digit output for the Clickers, with Stephanie Mercado turning out to be the next best scorer with six hits.