Foton nabs top spot in semis, trips Petron

Foton Tornadoes. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Foton took the first seed of the Philippine Super Liga Grand Prix after knocking off Petron, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-14, in its final game of the preliminary stage Thursday at San Juan Arena.

Stephanie Niemer’s final service of the game went long, giving the Tornadoes the victory and the 9-1 record while her Blaze Spikers slipped to 8-2.

Foton faces the winner of the playoff between RC Cola and Generika in the semifinals on December 3.

Despite the strong finish, Tornadoes head coach Moro Branislav said the team is not at a hundred percent going into the semifinals.

Branislav pointed out the absence of youngsters EJ Laure and Cherry Rondina, who were late for the match.

“In this moment, my team is not yet ready,” said Branislav. “Two players are not on their maximum and there is a little problem for Ariel [Usher].”

Usher did not finish the match after falling awkwardly on her feet following a spike attempt late in the fourth set.

Lindsay Stalzer and Jaja Santiago led the two-woman attack force for the Tornadoes with 25 and 21 points, respectively, while Usher complemented the two with 14 points of her own.

Niemer had a game-high 27 points for Petron while Serena Warner added 11.