Kendra Dahlke shone anew, delivering the clutch hits that towed PLDT Home Fibr past struggling Foton, 25-16, 27-25, 22-25, 26-24, in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
After erupting for 30 points in their last game, Dahlke remained hot as she scored five points in the 6-2 blast that brought the Power Hitters to match point, 24-20, in the fourth set of this prestigious women’s club league broadcasted by ESPN5 and 5Plus.
Foton imports Milagros Collar and Courtney Felinski tried to keep their heads afloat with back-to-back hits, 24-24, but Dahlke converted a beautiful drop shot to seal the victory in this tourney that also has Asics, Mueller, Mikasa, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Cocolife, Hotel Sogo and Data Project as technical sponsors.
Grace Lazard led the way with 25 points off 16 kills, six aces, three blocks with 11 digs while Dahlke chipped in 18 hits. Sasa Devanadera and Aiko Urdas also delivered significant numbers, adding 12 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Power Hitters, who climbed to no. 4 with a 5-4 win-loss slate.
But PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb was far from satisfied, especially in the fourth set when the Tornadoes gave them a serious scare.
“We were leading by four, 24-20, but the service error of Grace allowed them to come back,” said Gorayeb, heaving a sigh of relief after his wards restored order.
“I’m glad they were able to recover. It’s good that they displayed composure and showed that they can recover from an ugly loss in the third set.”
Collar, who replaced Turkish Selime Ilyasoglu over the weekend, had 24 points while Felinski added 16 hits and 11 excellent receptions for Foton, which suffered their eight straight loss after opening the season with a victory.
