Foton booted out Generika-Ayala out of semifinal contention following pulsating 21-25, 25-17, 27-25, 19-25, 15-11 win in a rare Sunday battle of the Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
University of Santo Tomas ace Eya Laure turned the deciding set into her own show as she delivered the crucial blows that lifted the Tornadoes to the second spot of Pool D with a 3-3 win-loss slate in this prestigious women’s club volleyball tournament.
The rookie finished with six of her 24 points in the fifth set while Shaya Adorador had 19 points and Marian Buitre chipping in six blocks for the Tornadoes, who also drew an impressive performance from the returning EJ Laure.
EJ, who was sidelined for a year due to shoulder injury, fired 11 markers while Jen Reyes covered the floor well with 49 digs and 14 excellent receptions.
Eya said she was in the zone, especially in the fifth set, where the Lifesavers posted a quick 3-0 start only to fall prey to the Tornadoes red-hot offense.
“Honestly, I was asking for the ball in the fifth set,” said Eya, who is playing her first conference in the PSL.
“The team went through a lot this conference. We want to give it back by coming up with impressive victories.”
Should F2 Logistics prevail over Sta. Lucia in the other half of this explosive weekend double-header, the Tornadoes will book a sudden-death duel with powerhouse Petron while the Cargo Movers face Cignal in the other semifinal pairing on Tuesday at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center in Malolos City, Bulacan.
F2 Logistics and Sta. Lucia are still playing at press time.
“It was a great team effort in the fifth set,” said Foton head coach Aaron Velez. “The team really showed its eagerness to win in this very important match.”
Mean Mendrez nailed16 points, Ria Meneses and Patty Orendain had 14 points each while Yeye Gabarda added 12 markers for the Lifesavers, who bombed out of contention after losing five straight of their six matches.
