PETRON shoots for the solo lead against an old nemesis when the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix rolls back to the Bacoor Strike Gym in Bacoor City on Saturday.
After racing to a pair of victories, the Blaze Spikers will be tested against a strong Foton squad in the 6 p.m. featured encounter of the women’s club tourney that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.
In the first game, Cignal seeks to sustain its momentum when it collides with struggling Sta. Lucia at 2 p.m., while Generika-Ayala and PLDT try to finally barge into the win column when they clash at 4 p.m.
Billed as the most feared club team in the country today, the Blaze Spikers are sharing the lead with bitter nemesis F2 Logistics, while the Tornadoes are not far behind after prevailing over United VC in the opening salvo of this tourney that also has Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Hotel Sogo and Data Project as sponsors.
But what makes this match doubly interesting is the intense rivalry between the Blaze Spikers and Tornadoes.
In fact, after Foton won back-to-back crowns in 2015 and 2016, Petron hired its import, Lindsay Stalzer, to come up with a runner-up finish. The following year, Stalzer conspired with Katherine Bell to finally nail the crown and cement her reputation as the most successful guest player in the league with three titles.
But Stalzer had already crossed the enemy lines and joined another powerhouse team—F2 Logistics—in its quest for the title in this import-flavored conference.