The Chery Tiggo Crossovers beat the Creamline Cool Smashers in four sets, 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference on Friday, following a painful five-set setback last Wednesday.
In Set 1, Mylene Paat shone brightly, completing flawless setups from Jasmine Nabor left and right as Chery Tiggo cruised to victory.
The second set appeared to be the back-and-forth battle that almost everyone expected, with both teams tied at 20 points. The Santiagos, on the other hand, concocted a brutal 5-3 finishing kick to take a commanding 2-0 set lead.
The Crossovers were unable to win in three sets, as they disintegrated late in the set and surrendered a six-point lead in the face of the Cool Smashers’ ferocious closing push.
But they came out of the fourth quarter stronger and better, taking control at 8-4 and holding on to the finish while capitalizing on their opponents’ errors to clinch the win and increase their chances to book a ticket to the semifinals.
It is a total team effort for the Crossovers as Paat, Nabor, alongside Jaja Santiago, Dindin Manabat, Shaya Adorador, Arianne Layug all made vital contributions both in offense and defense.
On top of the aforementioned Chery Tiggo players, Maika Ortiz, a veteran middle blocker from the University of Santo Tomas, also shone in her first full game, displaying her hallmark running attacks and crucial blocks to end Creamline’s 5-0 start in the bubble tournament.
With the win, Chery Tiggo not only ended the Cool Smashers’ five-game winning streak, but also ended the defending champions’ 25-game winning streak that started way back August 11, 2019.