Petron pounces on Cignal errors

Games today (Cuneta Astrodome)

2 p.m. – Cignal vs Mane ‘N Tail (W)

4 p.m. – Foton vs RC Cola-Air Force (W)

6 p.m. – PLDT-Air Force vs Maybank (M)

MANILA, Philippines - Petron scrambled at the finish, pouncing on Cignal’s errors at endgame to hack out a 25-18, 25-12, 18-25, 16-25, 16-14 victory yesterday and stretch its unbeaten run to six in the 2014 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Dindin Santiago stepped up as import Alaina Bergsma struggled with her form, firing 18 kills, two blocks and three aces for a 23-point game while Carmina Aganon and Frances Molina backed her up with 16 markers apiece for Petron, which nearly blew a two-set lead with poor plays in the third and fourth sets.

That allowed Cignal to force a decider but the HD Spikers failed to sustain their comeback as Cherry May Vivas committed a service miscue and Lindsay Stalzer was assessed with an attack error after forcing a 14-all count, enabling the Blaze Spikers to escape with the win.

“Our will to win was tested,” said Petron coach George Pascua. “Cignal is a tough team. We were expecting this game to go down the wire. We had trouble with our reception and committed a lot of errors. I’m glad we regained our composure in the fifth set to clinch this victory.”

Bergsma groped for form on both ends as she finished with only 15 points while her partner, Erica Adachi of Brazil, delivered 57 excellent sets.

Cignal fell to its third loss in six starts.

“We’re now 6-0 and it’s a pretty big responsibility on our part,” Pascua said. “We have to bring our A-game in the next few games to sustain our momentum all the way to the finals.”