PETRON goes for a sweep and a golden finish as the Blaze Spikers battle a back-against-the-wall F2 Logistics side in Game Two of the Chooks-to-Go Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix championship series today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The match is set at 7 p.m. with the Blaze Spikers seeking to lift the Grand Prix trophy anew after two unsuccessful seasons in the import-flavored conference.
Petron also shoots for a championship repeat over F2 Logistics, which the Blaze Spikers beat in the All-Filipino finals last July.
The Blazed Spikers completely outplayed F2 Logistics in Game One, 25-14, 25-21, 25-16, last Tuesday night.
American imports Lindsay Stalzer and Hillary Hurley delivered 20 points apiece for Petron in Game One and are expected to fulfill their mission tonight.
But they refuse to be complacent.
“I don’t think it’s going to be quite as easy in Game 2. They’re going to think of everything they can do to stop us,” said Stalzer, who was instrumental in Foton’s title run last season.
“We’ll try to anticipate and just prepare as well,” she added. “I’m just over the moon because we put in so much time and effort and mental energy. I’m very confident.”
Petron Head Coach Shaq Delos Santos agreed.
“We will double the effort and our performance in Game One,” said Delos Santos, who is again expected to lean heavily on Ces Molina, Mika Reyes, Remy Palma and setter Rhea Dimaculangan as well as Japanese libero Yuri Fukuda.
“We will prepare hard and we don’t want to lose this opportunity. F2 Logistics is such a tough team to deal with. I’m sure they will make a comeback. We have to maintain our good form from start to finish,” he said.
But for the Cargo Movers, they will go all out to live another day. Venezuelan import Maria Jose Perez was the lone bright spot for F2 Logistics as she finished with 15 points. American Kennedy Bryan and locals Kianna Dy, Majoy Baron and Aby Marano and setter Kim Fajardo and libero Dawn Macandili, however, were hardly felt in the best-of-three series opener.
F2 Logistics Head Coach Ramil De Jesus said that his wards “played very tight and were intimidated by Petron in Game One.”
De Jesus, however, remained confident that the Cargo Movers would bounce back and force a winner-take-all Game Three on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We need to bounce back and give our 100 percent in Game Two,” said the seasoned De Jesus, who won 10 University Athletic Association of the Philippines titles with the De La Salle Lady Spikers.