MANILA, Philippines – Sisimulan ng Petron ang pagtatanggol sa kanilang korona sa pagsagupa sa bigating Foton sa Game 1 ng kanilang 2015 Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix best-of-three championship series sa Cuneta Astrodome sa Pasay City.
Magpapang-abot ang Blaze Spikers at ang Tornadoes ngayong alas-4 ng hapon sa inter-club tourney na inihahandog ng Asics katuwang ang Milo Senoh, Mueller at Mikasa bilang technical partners at TV5 bilang official broadcaster.
Nauna nang tinalo ng Petron ang Foton sa dalawang beses nilang paghaharap sa double elimination round.
Hangad ang kanilang ‘three-peat’, muling sasandalan ng Blaze Spikers sina Dindin Santiago, Rachel Anne Daquis, Aby Maraño at Ces Molina na sumabak sa nakaraang AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship sa Vietnam noong Setyembre.
Makakatuwang nila sina Brazilian imports Erika Adachi at Rupia Inck.
“Pinakamahirap ka-laban ang Foton,” sabi ni Petron George Pascua.
Ang laro ay pano-noorin mismo ng deputy managing director ng Thai-based na SMMTV na si Prajaya Chaiyakam.
Nasa bansa si Chaiyakam, ang network ang napiling maging TV partner ng AVC sa susunod na apat na taon, para imbitahan sina PSL president Ramon “Tats” Suzara at PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico para sa three-nation tournament sa Bangkok sa 2016.
“They have a huge advantage for having three six footers in (Katie) Messing, (Lindsay) Stalzer and Jaja (Santiago). We need to neutra-lize their ceiling both on offense and defense. We also have to stop Stalzer from doing damage from the wing position. This is going to be an intense battle, that’s for sure.”
Muli namang ipaparada ng Tornadoes sina American imports Katie Messing at Lindsay Stalzer bukod pa kay Jaja Santiago.
“They have the league’s most seasoned players,” wika ni Foton mentor Villet Ponce-de Leon sa Petron. “Yes, we have the height, but the finals is an entirely different story. Petron has been together for quite some time.”