Tornadoes outlast Lady Troopers in five

FOTON outgunned RC Cola-Army for an 18-25, 25-15, 25-17, 23-25, 15-9 victory last night in the Philippine Superliga All Filipino Conference women’s volleyball at De La Salle-Lipa Sentrum in Batangas.

It was a confidence-building win for the Tornadoes who posted their first win in the second round in Group A and fifth over all.

The Lady Troopers absorbed their third straight defeat.

Rookie sensation Cherry Rondina took her high-wire acts to a new level, firing 17 attacks, three of them in the fifth set.

Rachel Anne Daquis hurt her ankle in the first set and had to sit out the rest of the way. That created imbalance in RC Cola-Army’s offense and somehow punctured its morale.

The Tornadoes sensed trouble in the Lady Troopers’ ranks and deployed 6-foot-5 Jaja Santiago to strike with impunity from quick sets and swat enemy attempts from the net.

Jovelyn Gonzaga tried to single-handedly carry RC Cola-Army, striking with an off-speed hit and then a block against Rondina to help RC Cola-Army force a fifth set.

In the first game, Cignal needed four sets to dispose of league doormat Amy’s Kitchen-Perpetual, 14-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-14.

Cherry Vivas delivered 10 points, all on attacks, while Janine Navarro, Carmela Tunay and Jeannette Panaga added nine each for the HD Spikers who are looking to finish first in Group B.

It was Cignal’s third win in nine games while Amy’s dropped its ninth match.