Jaja Santiago of Foton over Pam Lastimosa and Mar-Jana Phillips of SLR. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Foton displayed all the qualities that made it a back-to-back champion, exposing Sta. Lucia Realty for the struggling team that it really is Saturday night.
The result was a lopsided 25-16, 25-10, 25-16 triumph for the Tornadoes, who spun back into title orbit with their fifth victory in six matches.
After losing to Petron recently, the Tornadoes have now caught up with the Blaze Spikers at the top spot with similar 5-1 records.
It was a big morale bounce back for the Tornadoes, who fashioned out the win in an hour and seven minutes before a capacity crowd at La Salle Lipa Sentrum in Batangas.
Towering star Jaja Santiago scored 14 points, including two aces and a block.
Foton led in all departments as it showed determination to pile up enough wins in the eliminations and secure a lofty spot in the knockout rounds.
The Tornadoes overwhelmed the Lady Realtors in terms of attacks, 42-24, and committed fewer errors 17-21.
But the telling discrepancy was in the frontline, which Foton declared a no-fly zone with a 3-1 edge in blocks. Foton also had more aces, 8-1.