Unbeaten Petron faces tough RC-PAF in Super Liga

MANILA, Philippines - Petron puts its unbeaten record on the line as it faces off a surging RC Cola-Air Force side today in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Blaze Spikers swept their first three games in impressive fashions but could be in for a tough outing in their 4 p.m. clash with the Raiders, who are raring to derail Petron and gain a share of the lead in the early going of the tournament.

Generika and Foton, meanwhile, collide in a duel of winless squads in the 2 p.m. opener of another explosive twinbill that features two women’s matches in the inter-club tournament organized by Sports Core with Air 21, My Phone, Via Mare, Mikasa, Mueller Sports Medicine, Healthway Medical, Generika Drugstore, LGR and Jinling Sports as technical partners. The event also has Solar Sports as its TV partner.

In men’s play, Cignal is out to claim an early lead when it takes on a debuting Maybank squad in the 6 p.m. main game.

Powered by the American hitter Alaina Bergsma and Brazilian setter Erica Adachi, the Blaze Spikers swept past erstwhile co-leader Cignal, 25-17, 25-20, 25-23, last week.

Bergsma, the former skipper of Oregon Ducks in the US NCAA, delivered 20 kills and finished with 23 points in an all-out display of volley brilliance against the hapless HD Spikers.

Her partner, Adachi, was also steady in calling the plays, making sure that local spikers Dindin Santiago and Carmina Aganon will also get their skills in full display to keep the defense guessing.

But it will be an entirely different story when they march into war against RC Cola-Air Force – a seasoned squad which fell a win shy of the title last conference.

“We’ll be ready, that’s for sure,” said Petron coach George Pascua. “We used the long break to study their plays and come up with an offensive scheme that will foil their defense. RC Cola is a veteran team. I’m sure they will also be ready against us.”

After dropping their opening game to the Cignal side, the Raiders posted back-to-back triumphs over Foton and Generika with American reinforcements Emily Brown and Bonita Wise asserting their dominance on both ends of the floor.

Against the Life Savers in Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur, Brown scored 19 kills and had two blocks for a total of 22 points while Joy Cases chipped in 17 kills, two aces and two blocks for 21 points to underscore the Raiders’ well-balanced attack. Wise manned the defense as RC Cola-Air Force pounced on the absence of Michelle Gumabao and head coach Ramil de Jesus.

“Our previous game only proves that we are slowly getting our acts together,” said RC Cola-Air Force coach Rhovyl Verayo, who took the helm from Clarence Esteban few days before the start of the tournament.

“A win over Petron will be very important because it will not only improve our standings, but will also give us the momentum we need. We are planning to go all out against them.”