Foton goes for title sweep against Petron on Monday in Game 2 of the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Finals at Cuneta Astrodome. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Foton tries to pull off a Cinderella finish to its Philippine Superliga Grand Prix women’s volleyball campaign today against back-to-back champion Petron in Game 2 of their best-of-three title series at 4 p.m. at Cuneta Astrodome.
But the Tornadoes, who made it to the semifinals as the bottom-ranked team, remain the underdogs in their bid to nail a first-ever title for the franchise.
“We are already here, so we don’t want to loosen our grip,” said Foton coach Vilet Ponce de Leon. “We need to double our efforts because Petron will come back.”
The Tornadoes exploited their clear edge in height in Game 1 with triple towers Katie Messing, Jaja Santiago and Lindsay Stalzer throwing their weight around against the imploding Blaze Spikers.
“We have it in us to win this championship,” said the 31-year-old Stalzer, the acknowledged leader of the Tornadoes.
But the same could not be said of the Blaze Spikers.
“I think we have too many leaders in the team,” said Petron’s Aby Maraño.
Petron coach George Pascua admitted that his wards had several “miscommunication” during their Game 1 meltdown.
Brazilian setter Erica Adachi looked frustrated over the team’s play and some players got affected by her mood.
“She (Adachi) wants every move perfect and sometimes when it doesn’t work she gets frustrated,” added Pascua.