Petron outlasts Cignal in PSL thriller; Foton downs PLDT

MANILA, Philippines – Petron pulled off a five-set escape over Cignal, 25-20, 18-25, 25-16, 16-25, 16-14, in the 2019 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference at the Muntinlupa Sports Center.

Ces Molina delivered 23 points, including 19 attacks, as the team captain fueled the Blaze Spikers’ rally from an 11-14 deficit in the deciding set.  

“I think nag-struggle kami sa dalawang sets sa game. Buti na lang nakabalik kami dun sa game namin and marami kaming natutunan sa laro na ito,” said Molina. “Napaka-intense ng laro at napakagaling din ng Cignal.”

(We struggled in two sets during the game. Good thing we were able to recover and we learned a lot from this game. It was an intense match, Cignal played really well.)

Bernadette Pons, Remy Palma, and Mika Reyes also played key roles in the thriller as the Blaze Spikers bounced back from their first loss versus rival F2 Logistics for a 3-1 record.

“I think noong last game namin sa F2 ay 4 sets lang siya, nagkulang kami sa kapit and ngayon ginawa namin yung best namin para kumapit talaga at para mapanalo yung game na ito,” Molina said. 

(I think in our last game against F2, we lost in 4 sets. We couldn’t keep up, but this time we made sure we wouldn’t fold in the end to secure the win.) 

Cignal absorbed its first loss in 3 games. 

Meanwhile, the Foton Blue Tornadoes turned back the PLDT Power Hitters in 4 sets, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-15, for a 2-3 record.  

Dindin Santiago-Manabat tallied 14 attacks, 2 blocks, and 2 aces as the Tornadoes rose from a set down capped by a dominant 4th frame. 

“Syempre napaka-importante ng game namin para bumalik yung kumpyansa namin. Every game naman, willing naman kami mag-improve pa… di kami sumusuko, para lang mag-connect connect kami,” Manabat said. 

(It was an important game for us to regain our confidence. Every game, we’re willing to improve… we won’t give up until we improve on our team connection.) – Czarina Brozo/Rappler.com