Petron downs Main N’ Tail in Superliga

Games Wednesday:

(Alonte Sports Arena-Binan, Laguna)

2 p.m. – Cignal vs Foton (W)

4 p.m. – Generika vs Petron (W)

6 p.m. – L11 vs L12 (M)

MANILA, Philippines – Petron took advantage of Mane ‘N Tail's erratic performance down the stretch to clinch a 25-16, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23 victory in the 2014 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix presented by Asics Friday at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.

With Alaina Bergsma doing damage in the deciding set, the Blaze Spikers capitalized on a pair of attack errors by the Lady Stallions to escape with the victory 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.

It was the Blaze Spikers' eighth win in nine starts. It also awarded them with the top seed in the semifinals of this tournament which also has Solar Sports as official broadcast partner.

Bergsma, a blonde beauty from Oregon, pumped in 26 kills, four blocks and four aces to finish with 30 points to captivate the hearts of hundreds of volleyball fans who trooped to the venue to witness the topnotch volleyball action.

"I'm glad that the old fire and intensity of my team is back," said Petron coach George Pascua, whose wards suffered a heart-stopping five-set loss to RC Cola-Air Force last week after racing to a red-hot 5-0 start.

"This win is a good morale-booster entering the semifinals. We just have to be careful because other teams are also looking to have better placing in the semis. Every game is very important from now on."

Frances Molina and Dindin Santiago chipped in 11 and nine points, respectively, while providing strong frontcourt defense that threw the Lady Stallions out of their comfort zone, especially in the fourth set.

With the Blaze Spikers trailing by two in the deciding set, 21-23, Morada scored an ace followed by an attack error by Lilet Mabbayad, giving Petron a golden opportunity to seize the lead with a 23-all count.

The Lady Stallions threatened to stretch the game to a fifth set, but their attack went long followed by an out of bound violation from American import Kristy Jaeckel.

Jaeckel delivered 25 hits for a total of 30 points for the Lady Stallions, who suffered their seventh setback in 10 games, putting them on the verge of missing the four-team semifinal cast.