Petron begins run to defend PSL title on a high note

“Billed as two of the best imports the country ever saw, Bell and Niemer were unstoppable from start to finish as they towed Petron to an easy win in this prestigious women’s club tourney that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.” (Photo: Philippine Superliga/Facebook)

The sets ended 25-19, 25-9, and 25-10, with imports Katherine Bell and Stephanie Niemer most responsible for the demolition of their opponents, as Bell delivered 15 points from 14 kills and 10 digs, while Niemer contributed nine spikes, three aces, and two blocks.

Former De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archer Mika Reyes also chipped seven points, while Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Remy Palma contributed seven and six points respectively. As the libero, recently-engaged Denden Lazaro made her Petron debut with 10 excellent digs from 11 attempts. As for their opponents, the only person who delivered was Grace Lizard with 14 points, coming close was Kendra Dahlke with four markers. But unfortunately, with their 24 errors, PLDT struggled throughout the game.

Petron head coach Shaq Delos Santos shared in Filipino about their first victory, “We kind of struggled during the first set probably because it’s our first game. The players were also excited to be with our two imports,” adding, “The coaching staff told them to just relax, breathe, and focus on the game. Good thing we were able to recover.”

As for about their first game of the season and the value of their most recent win, Bell told the media, “It’s the beginning of the journey. It’s the beginning of everyone getting together so it’s very important for us.” She added, “Chemistry was great. It was really good. I was getting a little jittery a bit and I felt the whole support of the team and all of the girls are always talking to me. we felt great and the vibe was great.”

The Blaze Spikers will try to get another win on Thursday, February 22 against Generika-Ayala, who already has one loss, while PLDT will try to redeem themselves on the same day against Cignal.