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| Mina Aganon and Maika Ortiz connived for 32 points to guide Foton to victory against Generika-Ayala. Nina Carezon/Dugout Philippines |
By Ricky Manliguis
MANILA—Even the absence of the Santiago sisters hardly had
any effect on Foton.
The Blue Energy kick started its PSL All-Filipino campaign
on a winning note, needing five grueling sets to outlast Generika-Ayala, 20-25,
25-21, 25-14, 19-25, 15-5, in the first game of Saturday action of the 2018 PSL
All-Filipino Conference at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.
Down by a set early on, Mina Aganon and the rest of Foton
capitalized on the Lifesavers’ rash of miscues to record its first win in the
season-ending tournament and join early leaders Smart, Petron Blaze, and F2
Logistics.
And they did that without the vaunted Santiago siblings Jaja
and Dindin.
Dropping the first set, the girls of coach Aaron Velez stormed
in the next two frames before losing the fourth. Foton then unleashed a 10-1
salvo at the tailend of the decider many thanks to Generika’s seven errors that
paved away for the win.
Aganon finished with a game-high 20 points anchored on 11
attacks with five service aces and four blocks. Team skipper Maika Ortiz had
12, while Shaya Adorador and Geneveve Casugod each had nine.
“Well both teams actually performed well for a first game.
Nag-favor din sa amin because the girls actually were very mindful, the players
were very aggressive. They’re very hungry for a win,” said Velez after the
match.
Fiola Mae Ceballos carved 20 of her 21 points on attacks for
Generika, which despite having 55 attack points, committed 42 unforced errors.
Patty Orendain and captain Angeli Araneta accounted for 14
apiece.
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