Foton Tornadoes vs Petron Blaze Spikers. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
From a disastrous first set to a near immaculate showing in the next three, Foton took down a vaunted Petron side, 14-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22, to go up 1-0 in the best-of-three series of the Philippine Super Liga Grand Prix Finals Thursday at Cuneta Astrodome.
Kayla Tiangco-Williams blocked Dindin Santiago-Manabat’s runner as the fourth-seeded Tornadoes upset the second-seeded Blaze Spikers.
Tornadoes head coach Vilet Ponce De Leon knew her players could bounce back from their first set hiccup and hold on in the fourth against the star-laden Blaze Spikers.
“For a team like that, you have to expect them to put up a fight,” Ponde De Leon said. “In the fourth set we had to hold on to our game plan because if we don’t they [the Blaze Spikers] will take over.”
Foton was the subject of a Petron beating in the opening set as the Tornadoes simply allowed the Blaze Spikers to take them down bit-by-bit.
“They were not moving but everyone really fought, they just picked it up,” Ponce De Leon said.
Lindsay Stalzer led all scorers with 25 points for Foton while Kathleen Messing added 17 and Jaja Santiago pitching in 10.
Rupia Inck had 21 points for Petron while Frances Molina added 11.
Foton was actually down in the spikes column converting 55 while Petron had 59 but took liberty from the service line with five aces against none from the Blaze Spikers.