Petron repulses F2 Logistics in PSL Grand Prix finals rematch
MANILA, Philippines—Petron recovered in time and halted F2 Logistics’ advances in four sets, 23-25, 25-14, 24-22, 25-18, in a rematch of last year’s finalists in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Thursday at Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan City.
The Blaze Spikers maintained their undefeated start in the conference, improving to a 6-0 record to lead the league while the Cargo Movers are in second at 5-1.
From a slim 11-10 lead, Petron went on a late surge to take a 20-11 buffer but that was momentarily threatened by Blaze Boosters’ own miscues and timely points by the Cargo Movers.
The Blaze Spikers committed three straight errors before Aby Maraño converted on a service ace that trimmed the gap to 4, 21-17.
Stephanie Niemer and Remy Palma, however, scored on back-to-back hits to give Petron a 23-17 lead.
Katherine Bell then soared for a back row kill to seal the victory.
“We coaches know our players and we know that when they want to play great it’s possible to get the win,” said Petron head coach Shaq Delos Santos.
“We’re happy with the win because this was a test for us because F2 is one of the strongest teams in the PSL.”
“The first set was a struggle for us but I told the players to use the first set as a warm up because we knew we can bounce back from it.
Bell finished the match with 31 points, a season-high for her, while Niemer added 22.
Lindsay Stalzer, Petron’s previous player, had 21 points to lead the Cargo Movers while Rebecca Perry and Ara Galang had 12 and 10 points, respectively. / gsg
