Petron cruises past Cignal in Superliga semis

MANILA, Philippines – Petron celebrated Thanksgiving in style as it fashioned out an easy 25-23, 25-16, 25-21 victory over Cignal in the semifinals of the 2014 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

With their engine humming early on, the Blaze Spikers were in control from start to finish to book the first finals slot 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.

Petron will be clashing with the survivor between RC Cola-Air Force and Generika in the sudden-death final showdown tomorrow also at the same Pasay venue. Cignal, on the other hand, will face the loser in the classification battle for 3rd-4th place while Foton and Mane 'N Tail collide for the 5th-6th place.

Aside from becoming the league's first champion since Philippine Army dominated the first three conferences, the winner also gets a chance to represent the country in the Asian Women's Inter-Club Championship in Vietnam in April next year.

But Petron coach George Pascua refused to look that far. He, instead, humbly attributed their masterful conquest to a celebration widely observed in the United States.

"Thanksgiving kasi ngayon kaya ibinigay sa atin ang panalong ito," said Pascua, adding that their American import, Alaina Bergsma, played an inspired ballgame in observance of America's biggest public holiday.

Displaying a deadly brew of power and beauty that made her famous to volleyball enthusiasts, the former Miss Oregon was on fire early on as she led the Blaze Spikers with 18 hits, four blocks and three aces to finish with game-high 25 points while Dindin Santiago and Frances Molina chipped in 13 and 10 markers, respectively, in the Blaze Spikers' lopsided win.

Save for some minor bumps in the crucial stretch of the first set, Petron was hardly threatened. It even built a commanding 20-14 edge in the third set to wrap up the match and easily pocket the first finals slot.

"I didn't expect na magiging ganun kadali," Pascua added. "Cignal is a strong team. They also prepared hard for this game. Nagpakita lang talaga ng willingness ang mga bata at medyo maganda na din ang gising kaya nag-click ang mga plays namin."

"Pero hindi pa todo yun. May ilalabas pa kami sa finals. Paghahandaan namin yun."

It was a sorry loss for the HD Spikers, who started the tournament with a three-game winning run before suffering four consecutive losses down the crucial phase.

Lindsay Stalzer, who recovered from a left thigh injury, delivered 14 points while Sarah Ammerman had 13 markers for Cignal, which somehow improved its performance after a dismal seventh-place finish in the All-Filipino conference.