Petron is in the very same situation it was in last year, but the Blaze Spikers now have a new weapon they can turn to just to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.
Katherine Bell might just be what the doctor ordered for Petron, which zoomed to a 1-0 lead in its best-of-three clash with defending champion F2 Logistics for the Chooks To Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix following a come-from-behind 23-25, 20-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-9 win Tuesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
So when the Blaze Spikers try to wrap it all up at 7 p.m. Thursday also at the fabled Big Dome, expect Bell to be at the forefront of it all, the way she was in Game 1 where she scored 42 points to lead the furious fight-back.
“We know the quality of her game and she showed that she’s up to the challenge,” said Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos of the 6-foot-2 Bell, who once led University of Texas to the US NCAA title.
Bell is actually just a replacement for the injured Hillary Hurley, who was there last year when the Blaze Spikers couldn’t complete the job despite winning the series opener.
F2 Logistics coach Arnold Laniog said they would be making major adjustments after losing their grip of the match, where they won the first two sets.
“I can see it in the players’ eyes that they really want to defend our title,” said Laniog.