Petron stakes unbeaten record vs Cignal

Games Friday:

(Cuneta Astrodome)

2 p.m. – Cignal vs Petron (W)

4 p.m. – Generika vs Foton (W)

6 p.m. – Cignal vs PLDT-Air Force (M)

MANILA, Philippines – High-intensity volleyball action gets underway as leaders Petron and Cignal collide while hungry Foton and Generika clash in a bid to sustain their momentum in the 2014 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Displaying a deadly brew of balance, power and chemistry, the Blaze Spikers stake their unbeaten slate against the HD Spikers at 2 p.m. followed by the much-anticipated collision between the Tornadoes and the Life Savers at 4 p.m. in the women's division of this prestigious 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.

Also tipped to steal the thunder is the battle royale between unbeaten Cignal and PLDT-Air Force in the men's side at 6 pm.

The HD Spikers have yet to lose in three outings and a victory over the reigning champions will give them a sweep of the classification round and a handsome chance of claiming the top spot in the semifinals on Nov. 28.

On the same note, Petron also remains on top of the team standings with 5-0 while Cignal and idle RC Cola-Air Force are tied at the second spot with 3-2 entering the crucial stretch of the tournament which will move to Muntinlupa and Binan, Laguna next week before staging the finals at the cavernous Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan on Nov. 30.

With pretty imports Alaina Bergsma and Erica Adachi fast becoming household names due to their power and beauty, the Blaze Spikers are favored to capture their sixth win, especially with top rookie Dindin Santiago back in harness after sitting out a game to compete in the other league.

But Generika and Foton shouldn’t be counted out.

Despite lurking in the bottom of the standings, the Tornadoes shook the league to its very foundation when they pulled off a massive upset over Mane 'N Tail, 25-23, 25-22, 25-13, to duplicate the Life Savers' rousing victory over Cignal earlier in the day, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20.

"We played with a lot of confidence," said Foton coach Villet Ponce-de Leon after her wards finally notched their first win in six starts. "And that's what we want to achieve in our next game against Generika. We want to sustain this fine performance to gather momentum for the tough games ahead. Every game is a must-win for us from now on."

Ponce-de Leon added that it will be impossible to stop them since her Russian imports -- Irina and Elena Tarasova -- are finally healthy while her top local scorer in Dzi Gervacio of Ateneo already confirmed her attendance in the highly-crucial affair.

"That's a good sign," she said. "We are supposed to be a fighting team, but so many things happened in the first round like injuries and conflict in schedule. I will give my team a one-day active dayoff so they will come fresh and ready to battle on Friday."

Pulling off another upset, however, will be easier said than done, especially against a team like Generika.

After swallowing a bitter loss to Mane 'N Tail over the weekend, the Life Savers stormed back and torched the HD Spikers on both ends, thanks to the vastly-improved performance of 19-year old Japanese setter Miyu Shinohara and Russian attacker Natalia Korobkova.

"That was the (Generika) team which I want to see," said Generika coach Ramil de Jesus. "But that victory will be worthless if we come up with a poor effort in our next game against Foton. We shouldn't take them lightly. They are a hungry and fighting team."

Aside from Korobkova, tasked to counter the powerful game of the Tarasova duo are locals Aby Marano, Stephanie Mercado and Cha Cruz, who combined for 22 points in their previous outing after Shinohara gave them a lot of touches in the attack zone.