Chery Tiggo is headed back to the PVL semifinals — this time powered not by a single standout, but by a roster committed to doing things together.
From the opening serve of the 2025 PVL On Tour, head coach Norman Miguel already recognized the makeup of his team. There was no high-volume scorer to center the offense around, and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. Instead, he crafted a system that put equal weight on every player’s role, relying on trust, balance, and shared execution.
“You know why? Kasi ito lang yung bagay na meron kami. Ito lang yung bagay na kontrolado namin,” Miguel explained. “Wala kaming ilang spikers na nasa Alas, na naglalaro sa kabila. Ito na kami eh. Kung meron man, si Jen Nierva.”
For Miguel, there was no use longing for something that wasn’t there.
“Bakit ko naman papasakitin yung ulo ko na mag-aspire na meron kaming ganun kung wala naman?” he said. “Kung ano lang yung meron kami, kung ito lang yung resources namin, ito yung pagtatrabahuan namin. That’s why gusto ko silang maging lowkey lang. Yun yung principle ko behind that.”
That philosophy has become the Crossovers’ winning formula. All conference long, different players have stepped up in different matches, making them unpredictable and challenging for opponents to scout. The quarterfinals against Nxled were no exception.
Chery Tiggo came out sharp and decisive, sweeping the Chameleons, 25-17, 25-15, 25-20, to secure their first semifinal berth since the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Four players hit double digits in scoring — Cess Robles leading with 12 points, Ara Galang and Renee Peñafiel each delivering 11, and Imee Hernandez adding 10. The team’s 50-33 edge in attacks became the defining stat of the match, overwhelming Nxled despite most other numbers being neck-and-neck. Galang also shined defensively, tallying eight excellent digs to complement her scoring.
“Yun yung laging nire-remind kasi that’s character-building eh. Yun yung kailangan talaga namin, especially nabanggit niyo nga na wala kaming go-to guy at talagang fairly distributed yung bola,” said Miguel, now in his second conference guiding the Crossovers.
He credits their healthy internal competition as a driver of consistency. “Sa ensayo naman kasi, kapag kunyari di ka nag-ensayo, the following day, hindi ka pa ready. Kung sino nag-replace sa’yo, nagkakaroon ng competition pero healthily.”
Next up is a familiar foe: Cignal, whom Chery Tiggo remains the only team to have beaten during the group stage. Their semifinal showdown is set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum — a matchup that carries both confidence and challenge for Miguel’s crew.
