Jaeckel rediscovers form, carries Mane 'N Tail over Cignal

MANILA, Philippines -- After a pair of rusty performance, Kristy Jaeckel rediscovered her deadly form as she towed Mane 'N Tail to an emphatic 14-25, 25-17, 28-26, 25-21 win over Cignal in the 2014 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics Saturday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Billed as the league's most explosive import, the lovely American hitter erupted for a game-high 36 points as the Lady Stallions captured their third win in seven outings 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.

Jaeckel had a wonderful all-around effort as she finished with 31 kills, four aces and a block, making it her most productive performance after nailing only 26 and 27 points against Generika and Foton in their previous game.

"She really wants to win," said Mane 'N Tail coach Francis Vicente, referring to Jaeckel who holds the league record of 40 points in a single game. "You can see the fire in her eyes. She did everything to give us this victory. She carried us on her shoulders. She remains the heart and soul of this team."

Vicente also credited her local crew, led by Lilet Mabbayad, Rossan Fajardo and Hezzymie Acuna who provided support as they connived for a total of 29 points.

"I told them that they should also do their part and help our imports," he said. "Good thing they responded because our team will be impossible to stop if we're all doing our respective roles."

True enough, after experimenting in the opening set, the Lady Stallions appeared invincible in the second set before falling to a maze of errors in the third set that allowed the HD Spikers to take a 25-24 lead.

A service error by Charisse Ancheta and a wide attack by Sarah Ammerman gave the Lady Stallions the upper hand, 26-24. Lindsay Stalzer, however, stormed back with a booming block to inch closer, 25-26, before Jaeckel connected a down the line kill followed by a backrow attack to seal the victory in the third set, 28-26.

It was all Mane 'N Tail from there as fatigue brought by their thrilling five-set duel with Petron last Friday took a toll on the HD Spikers in the fourth set.

"They looked tired with a very low morale," Vicente said. "And we took advantage of that."

Ammerman knocked down 24 points while Stalzer chipped in 18 markers for the HD Spikers, who swallowed their third straight defeat after kicking off the tournament with back-to-back wins.

Cignal joined Mane 'N Tail in the fourth spot with a 3-4 win-loss card.