F2 blitzes Foton for 3rd win in row

Games Tuesday (Filoil Flying V Centre) 2 p.m. – Sta. Lucia vs Smart 4:15 p.m. – Generika-Ayala vs F2 Logistics

F2 Logistics hammered Foton from the service box before going for the kill to pull off an impressive 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 2516 victory in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix yesterday at the Muntinlupa Sports Center.

Stacked against the taller Tornadoes, the Cargo Movers had a strong start and an even stronger finish to notch their third straight victory in the women’s club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu and UCPB Gen with ESPN5 as official broadcast partner.

With the win, F2 Logistics tightened its grip on the second spot with a 5-1 (win-loss) card to move closer behind bitter rival Petron, which shut down its first round campaign with an immaculate 7-0 slate.

Venezuelan Maria Jose Perez, the reigning Most Valuable Player, sizzled with 22 kills and two blocks to finish with 25 points while American Kennedy Bryan delivered 15 attacks for a 17hit effort for the Cargo Movers, who asserted their dominance early on with Kim Fajardo unloading bombs from the service box.

A former University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Best Server awardee, Fajardo tallied six of the Cargo Movers’ 13 total aces, a fitting follow up to her five-ace output when they clobbered Cignal last Thursday.

“We know that they (Foton) are tall, so to take away that advantage and force them to work for their first ball, we have to come up with strong services,” said F2 Logistics coach Arnold Laniog, who is subbing in for 10-time UAAP champion coach Ramil de Jesus.

“Our target going into this game is to have a strong start. I’m glad that we managed to accomplish that and get this important victory. Laniog said the job is not yet done. The Cargo Movers will be facing Generika-Ayala in their last assignment in the first round on Tuesday for a win that will cement their hold of the second spot and avoid a second-round collision with powerhouse Petron.

In the second game, Cignal clobbered Smart, 25-21, 25-18, 25-20, to step back on the winning track.

Jeane Horton and Sonja Milanovic conspired at the attack zone to power the HD Spikers to their third victory in six matches.

Horton, the power-hitting American, delivered 13 kills for 16 points while Milanovic chalked up 15 attacks also for 16 markers for Cignal, which limited Smart’s high-scoring import Gyselle Silva to only 22 markers.