Foton gives Cignal wrong

Games Thursday (Alonte Sports Arena Binan, Laguna)

4:15 pm – Petron vs Foton

6:15 pm – Shopinas vs Mane ‘N Tail

MANILA, Philippines - Ranged against a relatively young team, Foton used its  experience to turn back Cignal, 25-18, 26-24, 25-23, in the opener yesterday of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Patty Orendain, a top recruit from University of Saint La Salle in Bacolod, sizzled as she towed the Tornadoes to their first victory in 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.

Orendain finished with 16 kills and an ace for 18 points while former University of the Philippines stalwart Nicole Tiamzon registered 14 points in her debut performance.

“I liked how they played,” said Foton coach Villet Ponce-de Leon, whose wards are looking for a major rebound after finishing fifth in the six-team Grand Prix last year.

“We didn’t have any warm up and we were jittery at the start. But their real game came out in the second and third sets. They showed that they are the more experienced team. They showed that they are the more seasoned players.”

In the other game, Petron unleashed its deadly form in crushing Philips Gold, 25-16, 25-18, 25-23.

Dindin Santiago-Manabat finished with 10 kills for 3 points to spearhead the well-balanced assault of the Blaze Spikers – the Grand Prix champions who are the strongest team on paper.

Frances Molina and Aby Marano nailed eight and seven points, respectively, to somehow arrest the absence of open hitter Rachel Anne Daquis, one of Petron’s prized acquisition during the off-season together with Marano and pretty rookie Alexa Micek.