HD, Blaze Spikers clash in top PSL showdown

MANILA, Philippines - Cignal and Petron tangle tonight in an early clash of the top teams while Foton tests Cocolife’s mettle in the Belo-PSL Invitational Conference at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.

The HD Spikers and the Blaze Spikers collide at 7 p.m. with the former out to snap a string of mediocre finishes on a team built around Jovelyn Gonzaga, Honey Royse Tubino and Rachel Anne Daquis. They also enlisted Maica Morada to firm up an already formidable crew led by Paneng Mercado, Janine Marciano, Cherry Vivas and Jheck Dionela.

They kicked off their campaign with a pulsating 26-24, 20-25, 26-24, 13-25, 15-9 victory over the powerhouse Foton side during the inaugurals of the tournament bankrolled by Mikasa, Asics, Senoh and Mueller with TV5 as official broadcast partner and backed by Gold’s Gym as official fitness partner and UCPB Gen as official insurance provider.

Gonzaga led the way with 17 points while Paat and Daquis had 11 and 10 markers, respectively, with the HD Spikers flashing solid blocking prowess and a well-balanced offense in the marathon match that lasted two hours, 20 minutes.

But the Blaze Spikers are ready to face them head-on.

After acquiring Mika Reyes and Carmela Tunay during the off-season, Petron flexed its muscles right away and made quick work of Sta. Lucia, 25-19, 25-19, 25-21, also last weekend.

Reyes and Tunay delivered nine points apiece while team captain Frances Molina chipped in eight markers for the Blaze Spikers, who dominated the Lady Realtors from start to finish despite drawing limited offensive output from veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.

Cignal coach George Pascua said they have done their homework and will use their experience and deep familiarity with Petron’s system to win.

Pascua had guided Petron to a historic 13-0 sweep of the All-Filipino Conference in 2015 while Daquis and Morada served as his key players. Gonzaga, for her part, is also quite familiar with her counterpart, Maizo-Pontillas, after playing with her in the beach volleyball competition of the Southeast Asian Games in 2011.

Also tipped to draw a big weekday crowd is the Cocolife-Foton faceoff at 5 p.m.

Despite falling short against Generika in their debut match, hopes are still high on the Asset Managers as Michele Gumabao delivered some flashes of brilliance while newly crowned NCAA champions Andrea Marzan, Rhea Ramirez and Mary Anne Esguerra of Arellano University proved they can play beautiful music with veterans Wensh Tiu, Rosemarie Vargas and Erika Alkuino.

Former Ateneo star Denden Lazaro will also make her much-awaited PSL debut against Foton, the same team that drafted her two years ago.