Petron eyes early solo lead

Petron coach Shaq delos Santos believes his Petron team has yet to reach its full potential.

With two wins under its belt, Petron is gunning for early solo leadership against Foton Saturday in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix triple-header at Bacoor Strike Gym in Cavite.

“We can still do better, we have the talent yes, but playing as a team, I still would like to see more,” said Delos Santos who is also the head coach of the national women’s team.

That’s bad news for Foton, which is on a rebuilding stage after its stars Jaja Santiago and Dindin Manabat set off for the Japan V League.

The Tornadoes won their first outing, beating United Volleyball Clubs in a game which saw their imports Courtney Felinski and Selime Ilyasoglu taking charge.

But Foton coach Aaron Velez noted the roles played by their low-profile locals led by Maika Ortiz, CJ Rosario, Gen Casugod, Elaine Kasilag and Shaya Adorador.

“Petron is a strong team, so we need to match up to their level,” said Velez. “Our teamwork is getting better. This is a good opportunity for us to show what we can do.”

Cignal will shoot for its second straight win against Sta. Lucia Realty, while Generika-Ayala clashes with PLDT in other matches.

The Blaze Spikers will come into the match fresh from their three-set triumph over the Lifesavers (25-16, 25-23, 25-15) late Thursday.

Stephanie Niemer fired 24 points for Petron in that match and she is expected to once again be a major scoring option for the Blaze Spikers along with Kath Bell.