Blaze Spikers bounce back to take PSL Finals with Cargo Movers to Game 3
Kath Bell ran out of words in describing how much she wanted Petron to win the championship Thursday night.
So the 26-year-old Texan put that into action, slamming down 27 points as the defending champions turned back F2 Logistics, 23-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-19, to even things up in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix championship series.
“I want it so bad, you know,” said Bell, who this time around got a lot of help not just from fellow import Stephanie Niemer but from the rest of the local Blaze Spikers.
“Everyone is confident, cool and collected as we just got back to the basics, resetting and re-focusing,” said Bell.
She led Petron to the title last year in tandem with now F2 Logistics reinforcement Lindsay Stalzer.
The Blaze Spikers, after losing their first match of the conference in Game 1 of the finals, now have the momentum going into Saturday’s winner-take-all Game 3.
“Hopefully we get the same results, you know since last year I got a taste of it (championships), I can’t wait to win this back again,” added Bell.
Helping her with the chores were Stephanie Niemer, who had 23 points and Mika Reyes, who posted 11.
Libero Denden Lazaro, setter Rhea Dimaculangan and mainstays Aiza Pontillas and Remy Palma also played pivotal roles, especially after F2 took the opening frame after a tight back-and-forth.
“These girls are absolutely phenomenal,” said Bell. “It’s like playing our last game because we can’t afford to let the same thing (Game 1) happen all over again.”
Petron had to rally from 19-22 in the second set to snatch the frame away behind the heroics of Pontillas and Niemer.
Then by the third set, the Blaze Spikers were in the zone, much like they were when they won their first 17 games of the conference.
