Petron eyes No. 3 as PSL GP resumes

MANILA, Philippines – The Asics Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by PLDT Home Ultera resumes today with an explosive triple-header at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Powerhouse Foton tries to keep its title-retention bid going as it clashes with Generika at 3 p.m while F2 Logistics parades its new import when it battles Cignal at 5 p.m.

Heavyweights RC Cola-Army and Petron collide in the 7 p.m. main game.

With prolific import Stephanie Niemer on the firing end, the Tri-Activ Spikers swept their first two games against Generika and F2 Logistics before the league took a three-week break to give way for the country’s hosting of the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship last month.

Petron is on top of the heap with a 2-0 card while Foton and RC Cola-Army tote 1-0 slates. Generika and F2 Logistics, meanwhile, have dropped their first two games, leaving Cignal as the only team that has yet to see action in the season-ending conference.

Focus will also be on the Cargo Movers, who parade their prized import in Hayley Spelman, a 6-foot-7 opposite spiker who won a gold medal for US in the Norceca Women’s Juniors Continental Championship in 2008.

With Spelman finally on board, the Cargo Movers will be at full strength, especially with the presence of fellow import Sydney Kemper and local stalwarts Mika Reyes, Ara Galang, Cha Cruz, Aby Maraño, Dawn Macandili and Kim Fajardo, who gained significant experience after competing against the best of the world in the FIVB battle.

Winning over Cignal will never be easy.

After a string of dismal finishes, the HD Spikers finally stacked their roster with quality talents, led by Puerto Rican Lynda Morales, American Laura Schaudt, Filipino-American Shawna-Lei Santos, Mylene Paat and Lourdes Patillano as well as mainstays Micmic Laborte, Cherry Vivas and Jheck Dionela.

Cignal’s biggest recruits, however, are its open spikers.

Former MVP Venus Bernal will be making her return while Stephanie Mercado was recruited from the Cargo Movers and Janine Marciano moved over from the other league.

Americans Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher will be at the forefront of the attack while Serbian Moro Branislav will be calling the shots for the Tornadoes, who are looking to win another title to qualify in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship in Chinese Taipei next year.