Powerhouses Petron, Cignal battle for Superliga lead

Games Wednesday:

(Cuneta Astrodome)

2 p.m. – Mane 'N Tail vs Foton (W)

4 p.m. – Petron vs Cignal (W)

6 p.m. – Cavite vs PLDT-Air Force (M)

MANILA, Philippines – It's going to be an all-out war as heavyweights Petron and Cignal clash for the lead when the 2014 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics resumes Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Powered by a pair of pretty, but powerful, reinforcements, the Blaze Spikers put their unblemished slate on the line when they battle vastly improved HD Spikers at 4 p.m. following the 2 p.m. encounter between winless Foton and Mane 'N Tail in the women's division of this prestigious inter-club tournament organized by Sports Core with Air 21, My Phone, Via Mare, Mikasa, Mueller Sports Medicine, Healthway Medical, Generika Drugstore, LGR and Jinling Sports as technical partners.

In the men's side, reigning champion PLDT-Air Force troops back to war when it collides with newcomer Cavite at 6 p.m.

After falling short last conference, Petron had a lightning-quick start as it crushed Generika in its opening game before demolishing Mane 'N Tail over the weekend in an out-of-town encounter in Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur, raising speculations that the Blaze Spikers are ready to take the crown set to be vacated by three-time champion Philippine Army.

Petron's gem of an import, former Miss Oregon Alaina Bergsma, sizzled for 25 points while her partner, Brazilian sensation Erica Adachi, nailed 53 of her squad's 55 excellent sets to tow the Blaze Spikers to a rousing 21-25, 25-16, 25-21, 29-27 victory over the Lady Stallions.

Rookie Dindin Santiago was also spectacular as she knocked down 11 points while delivering a pair of razor-sharp kills down the stretch to help Petron survive the 37-point explosion of Mane 'N Tail import Kristy Jaeckel.

"It was a test to our mental toughness," said Petron coach George Pascua, referring to the game that featured heart-stopping rallies and an all-out display of volleyball brilliance before a jam-packed Ilocano crowd.

"But that victory will be worthless if we will not win over Cignal on Wednesday. Cignal is also still undefeated, so I expect the game to go down the wire because pride will be at stake. Nobody would want to lose. It will all boil down to who wants it more."

True enough, Cignal will be a tough nut to crack.

Featuring the hard-spiking American duo of Sarah Ammerman and Lindsay Stalzer, the HD Spikers stunned RC Cola-Air Force in the opener before clobbering Mane 'N Tail, 25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 26-24, last week.

Stalzer, a lovely hitter from Bradley University, was the HD Spikers' pillar of strength in the attacking end as she delivered 25 points to go with Ammerman's 22 markers, making them a furious two-headed monster in demolishing the Lady Stallions.

"Our biggest strength is that we have reliable imports who know how to play and communicate well with our locals inside and outside the court," said Cignal coach Sammy Acaylar. "I'm sure they will go all out in our next game against Petron. These girls love to compete and facing a strong team like Petron will squeeze out the best in them."

Aside from Stalzer and Ammerman, Royse Tubino is tipped to step up in a virtual showdown with arguably the league's best middle hitter in Santiago. She will be backed by Abigail Praca, who can also deliver the goods when the need arises.