Foton slowed down in the second set, but recovered just in time to pull off a 25-23, 26-28, 25-21, 25-19 victory over Cocolife in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Veteran Mina Aganon re-asserted her dominance as she towed the Tornadoes back to the winning track of this prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, Senoh, Sogo, Mikasa, Asics, Mueller, UCPB Gen and Bizooku with Genius Sports as technical provider.
Aganon registered 18 kills, 22 digs and eight excellent receptions as Foton solidified its hold of the solo second spot with a 5-1 win-loss card.
Petron, however, remains on top of the standings with a 5-0 slate and could further widen its gap pending the result of its match against struggling Sta. Lucia at press time.
Foton coach Aaron Valdez said their previous loss to F2 Logistics fueled them to work harder to regain their bearings in this battle that also has ESPN5, Hyper HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners.
“I think our loss to F2 Logistics made us better as a team,” said Velez, who took the helm from Rommel Abella in the off-season.
“Despite the loss, the team still radiated positive energy and I did not look at it (loss) as a setback.”
He added that it was a wakeup call that gave them a chance to identify their weaknesses, especially now that towering Jaja Santiago and Dindin Manabat are seeing action in the prestigious V. Premier League in Japan.
“It served as a wake up call for the team for us to improve on our weaknesses,” he added. “I’m happy that my players responded although they were hesitant at first, it’s normal, but I’m really glad that they exerted effort rather than nothing.”
Carla Sandoval had 18 points while playmaker Gyzelle Sy registered 24 excellent sets for Foton in the match that lasted for two hours and 15 minutes.
Filipino-American spiker Kalei Mau led the way with 21 points, 16 digs and six excellent receptions for the Asset Managers, who absorbed their fifth loss in six matches.