Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
F2 Logistics completed its comeback after rolling past Petron, 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 25-18, in Game 3 to capture the 2017 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix title Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
This is the Cargo Movers’ first Grand Prix title and second overall after winning the All-Filipino championship in 2016.
F2 dropped the finals opener on Tuesday in three sets before forging a winner-take-all with a 25-20, 24-26, 14-25, 25-19, 15-4 victory in Game 2.
“The players really wanted this victory, you can just see that after they came back from 9-0 in the previous game, and we were down two sets then,” said F2 head coach Ramil De Jesus. “Who would’ve thought this team would still recover.”
After struggling to shrug off the Blaze Spikers early in the fourth set, the Cargo Movers used a small 6-1 scoring spurt with Cha Cruz capping it off with an off-the-block kill that gave F2 a 17-11 lead.
Cruz then, came up big in the clutch anew with a service ace that put F2 up 23-17 and setter Kim Fajardo’s off speed attempt landing square in the middle of Petron’s defense sending the Cargo Movers at match point, 24-18.
MJ Perez, who led F2 with 24 points, then secured the championship with a booming kill for the Cargo Movers.
Cruz, who was the heroine in Game 2, added 16 points for the Cargo Movers while Kennedy Bryan and Mary Joy Baron had 12 points apiece.
Hillary Hurley was the lone Blaze Spiker to finish in double digits with 25 points.