MANILA, Philippines – After a successful first foray in Philippine volleyball when it sponsored the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix last year, Chooks-to-Go will once again be the title sponsor when the league unfurls the new edition of the import-flavored conference.
Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president Ronald Mascarinas said the smashing success of the PSL Grand Prix last year allowed them to captivate the hearts of their target market, especially the new generation of volleyball fans.
“The 2017 Grand Prix was a resounding success as did not only connect our brand to new audience, but also captivated our audience,” said Mascarinas, who is also the patron of Gilas Pilipinas basketball team.
True enough, the previous Grand Prix was simply incredible.
F2 Logistics started out slow as it missed the league’s first two weeks to give way for the University Games in Dumaguete City where players like Majoy Baron, Dawn Macandili and Kianna Dy were seeing action for De La Salle University.
But in their first match, the Cargo Movers made a strong impression.
Ranged against a veteran-laden Petron squad, F2 Logistics imports Maria Jose Perez of Venezuela and Kennedy Bryan of the United States made their presence felt, dominating the Blaze Spikers en route to a four-set victory.
They sustained their momentum and tallied six consecutive victories before losing to a red-hot Foton squad bannered by Serbian Sara Klisura, who erupted for a record-breaking 41 points.
The Cargo Movers prevailed over Iriga City in the last day of eliminations to enter the quarterfinals as the top seed.
They crushed the Lady Oragons anew in the quarterfinals before dominating Cocolife in the semifinals, setting the stage for a best-of-three titular showdown against Petron.
The Blaze Spikers were coming in as overwhelming favorites after slicing through the eliminations with a 6-1 mark. They crushed Generika-Ayala in the quarterfinals and dethroned Foton in the semifinals to move a couple of wins away from the PSL Grand Prix crown.
They were simply a team on a mission.
In Game One, they crushed the Cargo Movers in straight sets, 25-14, 25-21, 25-16.
With his back against the wall, F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus came up with a brilliant idea.
He shifted Bryan back to her original position at opposite while deploying veteran Cha Cruz to the open spiker slot together with Perez.
The gamble paid off as the Cargo Movers took Game Two in five sets — a victory that nearly went the Blaze Spikers’ way if not for some careless miscues in the fourth set where Petron already enjoyed a 9-0 lead.
Game 3 was set at the cavernous Mall of Asia Arena and the Cargo Movers were simply too dominant, too motivated to be denied.
They won the crown with Cruz serving as the hero and Perez emerging with the Most Valuable Player award.
After the game, de Jesus uttered a little secret: Perez’s older brother succumbed to cancer a day before Game Three.
In all these action, drama and intensity, Chooks-to-Go was there.
And it motivated Mascarinas to renew their partnership with the league.
“The journey of F2 Logistics was very inspiring. From the heroics of Cha Cruz to the selflessness of MJ Perez, a new generation of volleyball players will look back from that moment and say that they were inspired to play volleyball because of it.”
Mascarinas believes that the previous Grand Prix is just the tip of the iceberg.
He said the new edition of the import-flavored conference promises to either match or surpass the success of the previous staging.
“It will be hard to top the 2017 Grand Prix,” he said, adding that a lot of interesting angles and storylines are in store for the new edition of the import-flavored conference.
“But with the vision of (PSL president) Tats Suzara, we are hoping for another fruitful outing this time around.”