Chery Tiggo, behind Mylene Paat’s awesome attacking prowess, grounded Army with a dominant run in the last two sets and came away with a 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 25-12 victory to match idle Creamline’s hot start in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Saturday.
The seasoned Paat soared for kills from all angles that often pierced through the Lady Troopers’ defense, producing 22 while likewise flashing her defensive skills by finishing with four blocks she laced with 12 excellent digs.
More so, she provided the leadership, particularly when the Crossovers had sort of rushed things up in the second frame that enabled the Lady Troopers, making their first appearance in the season-opening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision, to draw level on a strong finishing kick.
“I told them (teammates) that we lost our composure and focus in the second set kasi parang minadali namin. So I said we need to stay calm and from there we were able to get our game back,” said Paat, who handily took the game’s top honors.
EJ Laure, kept out of rotation in that second set defeat, came back strong in the third and delivered key hits on her way to a 12-point showing as she matched middle Cza Carandang's output while Ponggay Gaston debuted for the league’s first pro champions with eight points.
Chery Tiggo also pounced on Army’s erratic game, drawing 28 points off the Lady Troopers' miscues while yielding 17 points of their own.
“Yun ang malaking bagay sa amin, we have to take the experience,” said Chery Tiggo coach Aaron Velez. “Yung experience na nakukuha namin, yun yung ingredients na kailangan namin for the season.”
“Kasi nagiging individual ang laro naming pero nung nakuha naming yung teamwork, which started with good reception and good setting, nag-deliver na mga spikers naming,” he added. “It’s really the communication.”
Army also lacked the firepower needed to measure up with the league’s top teams as it sorely missed the services of veteran hitter Jovelyn Gonzaga, who had opted to focus on her preparations for the SEA Games.
Honey Royse Tubino did fire 16 points and Jeanette Villareal came up with 12 markers but the Lady Troopers failed to match the Crossovers’ fiery charge in the third and virtually crumbled in the face of another Chery Tiggo onslaught in the fourth.
The one-hour, 58-minute victory thus tied Chery Tiggo, out to redeem itself from a dismal second-to-last finish here last year, with Creamline, which served notice of its readiness to defend one of its two championships with a pair of three-set romps over Petro Gazz and Cignal.
