In a game of adjustments, Chery Tiggo made the right moves at the right time and put itself right at the semis doorstep of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, edging Cignal in a dramatic 17-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 16-14 victory before a roaring packed crowd at the Philsports Arena in Pasig Tuesday night.
Eya Laure underscored that key shift in play when she took flight and drew two HD Spikers’ defenders then opted for a drop ball instead, leading to a Cignal floor touch that saved the Crossovers the match point at 14.
And in a helter-skelter finish, Cza Carandang foiled Ces Molina’s attack in the ensuing play and Laure delivered a serve that somewhat rattled the HD Spikers, who fouled up on the first ball that saw setter Gel Cayuna scramble and fail to keep it in play.
That enabled Cignal to steal victory, its fifth straight, in a match that could’ve gone either way as the HD Spikers bucked 2-5, 3-6 deficits in the fifth set, and the Crossovers surviving a Cignal 3-0 counterattack, spiked by Molina’s back-to-back hits, in the clutch to wrest control at 14-13.
But the Crossovers prevailed at the end of a highly-charged duel that took two hours and 13 minutes to finish, netting them a provisional hold of second spot at 7-1 with Choco Mucho gunning to match it against a beleaguered F2 Logistics side at press time.
“Kung ano lang yung tini-training naming the last 11 days, yun lang ang ginawa naming. We cherished the long rest, tried to recover and prepared for this and in our next games,” said Laure, who finished with 26 points, including 21 on attacks she highlighted with a couple of stare downs against the Cignal defenders.
The Crossovers likewise drew inspiration from the management and the crowd in surviving their toughest battle yet in the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.
“We thank the management support and the fans. Grabe ang hiyawan, their cheers motivated us. Hindi ka talaga mapapagod,” said Laure, who also produced 11 excellent digs.
“Motivation is yung lahat ng members ng team, from management, bosses, hanggang sa down the line, so yun nga ang iniimpart namin kagaya sa mga panalo namin sa previous games yung never say (die) attitude namin dapat nandun. Sabi ko nga hanggang ‘di natatapos na 25 ‘yan, regardless kung anong score natin, kailangan natin habulin which is yun yung nangyayari nung previous games naming,” said Chery Tiggo deputy coach Kungfu Reyes.
It was a sorry loss for Cignal, which stayed at solo fourth at 6-3 but enabled the other semifinal hopefuls to close stay in the race for the last Final Four seat.
Ces Robles also shone for Chery Tiggo, anchoring the team’s rally in the pivotal third before finishing with 18 points, while Mylene Paat backed them up with 11 points, including sharp-angled hits, and Carandang also finished with 11 markers, including a couple of clutch blasts.
Cayuna edged Jasmine Nabor on their side of the battle, posting 24 excellent sets, three more than Chery Tiggo’s ace playmaker. But in a duel of nerves, the Crossovers displayed grit, resilience, and a big fighting heart to upend the seasoned HD Spikers.
Vanie Gandler paced Cignal with 20 points, banging away spikes that pierced through Chery Tiggo’s defenses, while Molina scored 14 points, Riri Meneses made 12 markers, Jovelyn Gonzaga added 11 points and Roselyn Doria chipped in 10 points, including a quick attack that sparked the team’s 3-0 blitz in the decider that put them at match point.
Cayuna also finished with 10 points in another remarkable performance she laced with a combination of jump, kneeling, and reverse sets that however went down the drain.
