Game 2 ‘wake up call’ helps Petron get back on track for PSL crown

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—It could’ve been a perfect sweep for Petron in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference if not for its four-set loss to F2 Logistics in Game 2.

The Blaze Spikers held a 13-0 record up until that loss, but that defeat jolted the team to fix their ways and show what the defending champions are made of.

Petron had two days to figure it out, and it showed its might against the Cargo Movers in the Game 3 for the 25-22, 26-24, 25-23 sweet.

“That was a wakeup call for us. We never thought of the sweep or that we didn’t lose a match because that’s not a good mindset,” said Reyes in Filipino Thursday at Filoil Flying V Center. “It was a learning experience for us that we shouldn’t think of the conference sweep.”

Reyes was also instrumental in Petron’s third set stand when she scored on back-to-back hits to give the Blaze Spikers a 19-16 buffer.

The Blaze Spikers’ title win also moved them ahead of the Cargo Movers in the championship table with Petron owning four, the most in the league, while F2 has three.

Reyes said Game 3 itself was enough to show that the rivalry between the two teams is as strong as ever.

The two teams did face each other four straight times in the finals and had two titles between them prior to meeting in the 2018 All-Filipino Conference championship round.

“The rivalry is still there,” said Reyes who had nine points in Game 3. “You all saw how they fought. They didn’t want to lose and both teams came to fight.”