Petron knew it would be too much to handle for Marinerang Pilipina, so much so that the two-time defending champion used the game as a live test of its capabilities on the way to an easy 25-18, 25-13, 25-11 victory on Thursday that clinched a semifinal berth in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at Filoil Flying V Centre.
Up against a team that lost all its preliminary round matches, the Blaze Spikers had the luxury of going through their roster and, according to top setter Rhea Dimaculangan, even worked on their plays during the lopsided match.
Petron will next face the winner of the Generika-Cignal quarterfinal duel.
“This is a good headstart for us going to the semifinals,” said Dimaculangan, who distributed 27 excellent sets while contributing three points. “We also managed to practice our lapses from previous games so for sure we are more ready in the next game.”
Petron will be equipped with a twice-to-beat shield in the semifinals that will start on Tuesday.
For Dimaculangan’s longtime teammate Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, the dominating win was a product of familiarity with one another.
“We know each other very much and we have good communication,” said Pontillas, who scored 15 points for the Blaze Spikers.