Farm Fresh returned from a month-long break with a vengeance Saturday, dominating Nxled from start to finish for a 25-23, 25-13, 25-22 victory in the PVL On Tour Showdown before a packed crowd at the Mindanao Civic Center Gymnasium in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
But the straight-set triumph was far more emphatic than the scoreline suggested.
While the first and third sets appeared close on paper, the Foxies controlled most of the match, overwhelming the Chameleons with their attacking game and service pressure while committing few errors in a one-hour, 32-minute romp.
The victory was a rousing response to Farm Fresh’s four-set loss to Galeries Tower in Batangas on July 11 and gave the Foxies a much-needed boost heading into the final playdate of the province-hopping pre-season tournament organized by Sports Vision.
“We played a faster game,” said Farm Fresh setter Louie Romero in Filipino, who finished with 14 excellent sets.
Romero said the Foxies were finally beginning to find their rhythm after their shaky outing against the Highrisers.
“We prepared properly. The team is only now starting to gel, so we just did our best to win,” she said.
The home crowd also provided an added lift for Farm Fresh, with local fans turning out in force for the first-ever PVL games held in the province.
“It feels really good to play here in Lanao because we knew there would be a lot of people supporting us,” added Romero.
Farm Fresh appeared headed for another comfortable set in the third after racing to an 8-3 lead. But Nxled, which entered the match riding back-to-back victories in the tournament, finally found its footing.
Setter Gel Cayuna repeatedly went to her middle attackers, while MJ Phillips came through with a string of quick hits, including four in succession, as the Chameleons erased the deficit and forced an 18-all count.
Jackie Acuña then rejected Royse Tubino to give Nxled its first lead of the set. A Farm Fresh net violation on the next play stretched the Chameleons’ advantage to 21-19.
But rather than crumble under pressure, the Foxies answered with a decisive late surge.
Two straight Farm Fresh hits pulled the teams level at 21 before Lyann de Guzman sent an attack into the net. Ces Molina followed with a down-the-line winner to put the Foxies back in front, 23-22.
Jovelyn Fernandez, who had earlier scored consecutive points to knot the set at 18, then missed her attack to hand Farm Fresh match point.
Rizza Cruz finished the job with an ace that libero Jellie Tempiatura could not handle, sending the Farm Fresh bench into celebration.
The win sent the Foxies into their final PVL On Tour assignment with renewed confidence. Farm Fresh will face Capital1 Solar Spikers next Saturday in Negros Occidental.
Nxled, meanwhile, finished its On Tour campaign with a 2-2 record.
Trisha Tubu and Molina matched 16-point outputs to spearhead the Foxies’ dominant win while Tubino backed them up with 12 markers.
In contrast, no Chameleons player scored in double figures with Myla Pablo and Phillips finishing with eight points apiece and Jonah Escamillan adding seven markers.
The Foxies dictated the tempo early, capitalizing on the Chameleons’ miscues to surge to a 13-9 lead and hold a 21-18 cushion in the opening frame. The Chameleons refused to relent, closing to 23-24 on a Tubu service error, but Tubu took over at the finish, sealing the set with a well-placed drop after her earlier power hit was dug.
Farm Fresh led from start to finish, but the set remained tight. The Foxies held slim edges in attacks, 16-14, aces, 2-1, and errors, 6-7, while both teams had one block apiece.
From a virtual grind-out opener, the Foxies turned Set 2 into a virtual workout, putting the fruits of their preparation on full display after extensively scouting the Chameleons in their past two victories.
Farm Fresh came out firing behind Tubu, Molina and Tubino, racing to a 10-3 lead and never looking back. Nxled never managed to mount a comeback, prompting coach Etorre Guidetti to admonish his players during a huddle: “You’re playing scared.”
The Foxies’ dominance was not built on a huge attacking advantage. They held only a 12-10 edge in attacks in the set but repeatedly got touches on the block against Nxled’s hitters, slowing down the Chameleons’ offense and turning those defensive plays into pivotal points.
Lapses in reception and floor defense further fueled Farm Fresh’s run, allowing the Foxies’ troika of Tubu, Tubino and Molina to outplay Nxled’s vaunted frontline of Pablo, Escamilla and Phillips.
Nxled also gifted Farm Fresh seven points through errors, while the Foxies committed just one. That stark contrast underscored Farm Fresh’s command of the set as the Foxies transformed a tight opening into a one-sided romp.
