Foton defeats Petron in straight sets to win PSL Grand Prix title

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – It was like a fairytale ending, according to Foton head coach Vilet Ponce-De Leon. 

From finishing fifth last season and being fourth seed before entering this year’s semifinals, raising a championship trophy has been a surreal experience for the Foton Tornadoes.

The Foton Tornadoes cobbled on heavyweight Petron in a straight sets victory, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17, to win the 2015 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix Tournament crown in their deciding game, Saturday, December 5, at the Cuneta Astrodome. 

“Ang sarap ng feeling. Every sacrifice paid off,” said Coach Ponce-De Leon.

(It feels good. Every sacrifice paid off.)

Imports Lindsay Stalzer and Katie Messing led the way for the Tornadoes with 20 and 14 markers respectively. National team standout Jaja Santiago also contributed 11 points to seal the title for Foton. 

The impact at the Cuneta Astrodome was felt around the world as “Congrats Foton” trended worldwide on Twitter after the match.

Dominance early and late

Foton started the game with mental toughness, demolishing Petron as early as the first set, 25-18. 

Santiago and Messing erected a solid defense by the net, peppered by razor-sharp smashes from Stalzer.

But Petron knew they had to retaliate before it was too late.  

The two teams opened the second set with a showdown between sisters Jaja Santiago and Dindin Santiago-Manabat as Dindin answered back Jaja’s lethal kills, keeping the scores tight.  

But Messing and newly-crowned MVP Stalzer finished the job for Foton.

Foton never let go of the momentum as they knew they already own the championship in the final set.  

“I knew the championship is ours when the scores went 21-16,” said Ponce-De Leon. 

True enough, the Tornadoes continued to demolish a surprisingly weak Petron and walked away as the new PSL Grand Prix champions.  

Dindin Santiago-Manabat was the lone bright standout for Petron after finishing with 14 points. – Rappler.com