Blaze Spikers back on track, blast Bolts

MANILA, Philippines - Reigning titlist Petron finally unwrapped its awesome form as it walloped  Meralco, 25-15, 25-14, 25-19, yesterday in the 2015 Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

The Blaze Spikers, who suffered a stinging five-set loss to Cignal in the opener, were nearly flawless throughout the entire one hour battle to notch their first win in this prestigious inter-club tourney presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Mikasa, Senoh and Mueller as technical partners.

Petron reinforcement Rupia Inck took advantage of the absence of Meralco import Christina Alessi, who sat out the latter part of the match due to an ankle sprain.

A former member of the Brazilian juniors national team, Inck fired eight kills, two blocks and five aces to finish with 15 points while Dindin Manabat was in her usual deadly self as she tallied 10 hits and two blocks for 12 points for Petron, which had a statement game following that shocking loss to the HD Spikers.

“It was a challenge for us,” said Petron coach George Pascua. “I told them that we need to recover quickly by scoring a straight-set win to boost our morale. I’m glad that we pulled it off.”

Meralco, which is composed of the nucleus of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) heavyweight De La Salle University, started out slow with Alessi riding the bench early due to injury.

Its other import, Estonian Liis Kullerkann, was also a non-factor, allowing Inck and Manabat to take turns in peppering the defensive blanket of the Power Spikers.

The only significant run Meralco had was in the tail-end of the third set when it scored five straight points before Fille Cayetano sealed the win with drop shot.

Veteran Cha Cruz was the lone bright spot for Meralco as she finished with seven kills, three blocks and two aces for 12 points.