Resurgent Blaze Spikers seek 5th win vs Raiders

MANILA, Philippines - Petron hopes to keep the momentum of its inspiring victory over erstwhile unbeaten Cignal the last time out as it collides with a struggling RC-Cola-Air Force today at resumption of second round elims action in the 2015 Philippine Superliga (PSL) women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

The Blaze Spikers pulled through in a down-to-the-wire finish and eked out a 25-16, 14-25, 25-17, 22-25, 15-13 victory over the HD Spikers last Tuesday, putting the fancied team back on track of its back-to-back title bid.

Petron tries to firm up its hold of third spot as it shoots for its fifth win against two losses against RC Cola in the 6:15 p.m. match.

Cignal, meanwhile, seeks to recover lost ground as it battles Foton in the 4:15 p.m. opener, looking to stay on top of the heap with a 6-1 card.

Idle Philips Gold is in second with a 4-1 slate while the Foton Tornadoes are at 2-3 and the RC Cola Raiders and Meralco tote 1-4 and 0-5 marks, respectively, in the inter-club tourney presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Senoh, Mueller and Mikasa as technical partners and TV5 as official broadcaster.

Brazilian reinforcement Rupia Inck came through with a stellar performance in the final stretch of the deciding set while playmaker Erica Adachi completely took control as the Blaze Spikers survived another action-packed and emotional battle that featured long rallies and booming smashes.

Inck delivered 21 hits and four blocks for 21 points while Adachi was also impressive as she registered 38 of the squad’s 40 total excellent sets, as well as Dindin Manabat who chipped in 18 points built on 16 kills and two blocks for Petron, which vowed not to surrender the crown without putting up a strong fight.

“This is an important win for us,” said Petron coach George Pascua, heaving a sigh of relief after engaging in a furious contest that lasted for one hour and 57 minutes. “This victory will serve as a huge morale-booster for us entering the second round.”