Foton cools hot-starting Sta. Lucia, seals PSL semis berth

Delfin Dioquino

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Foton cools hot-starting Sta. Lucia, seals PSL semis berth
The Foton Tornadoes arrange a semifinals clash against rivals Petron Blaze Spikers

MANILA, Philippines – The Foton Tornadoes bucked off a slow start to topple the upset-seeking Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors, 21-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-17, and booked a ticket to the semifinals of the 2017 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at the Arena in San Juan Thursday, December 7.

Foton used a huge comeback in the third set to turn the tides and banked on the momentum in the fourth set behind Sara Klisura, who scored a game-high 23 points off 20 kills and 3 blocks, as the Tornadoes arrange a semifinals clash against rivals Petron Blaze Spikers.

Sta. Lucia led 17-13 in the third set following 3 straight attacks from Bohdana Anisova and looked like on its way to winning 2 of the first 3 sets but the Tornadoes came whirling with a 5-1 run that tied the game at 18-all.

Both teams exchanged hits with the Lady Realtors trailing by a whisker, 23-24, until a Klisura block put Foton up with 2-1 set advantage.

The Tornadoes held a slim 12-9 lead in the fourth set before pulling away for good off a 6-0 run, capped by back-to-back kills from Klisura.

“This is normal for Foton to play Petron. Foton likes to play contra Petron. It’s traditional and makes a good matchup,” said Foton head coach Moro Branislav on the upcoming semifinals.

Jaja Santiago backstopped Klisura with 21 points while Dragana Perunicic and Maika Ortiz had 12 markers apiece in the win.

Anisova paced the Lady Realtors with 21 markers while Pam Lastimosa added 12. Marisa Field and Mar-Jana Philips chipped in 10 each in the loss.

Foton will try to avenge its elimination round loss to Petron as it faces the Blaze Spikers on Saturday, December 9, at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com

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Delfin Dioquino

Delfin Dioquino dreamt of being a PBA player, but he did not have the skills to make it. So he pursued the next best thing to being an athlete – to write about them. He took up journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and joined Rappler as soon as he graduated in 2017.