Chery Tiggo’s Cess Robles (right).–PVL PHOTO
Driven by its rising stars, Chery Tiggo navigated its All-Filipino Conference with relative success.
And as early as her second conference, Cess Robles learned that the Premier Volleyball League, which is filled with the best talents that the country has, is not for the faint of heart.
“Matira matibay talaga (Only the strong survive). I mean, whoever wants to really win are the ones to whom the Lord gives what they want,” Robles told the Inquirer.
Chery Tiggo cruised to a strong start in the season-ending conference, save for a meltdown against Akari, before a string of unfortunate events toward the end of the eliminations stalled its rise. The Crossovers lost to eventual Finals contenders Choco Mucho and Creamline heading into the playoffs.
The Crossovers advanced to the semifinals with an 8-3 (win-loss) standing but was unable to get its mojo back as they were swept by the top seeded Cool Smashers and again by Cignal in the bronze medal series.
‘Newcomers’
But those losses to more established crews were not something to be ashamed of—even coach KungFu Reyes knew that. And for Robles, the hiccup gave the team something to aim for.
“Maybe it’s because we came in later, we had a bunch of newcomers in the team while the other teams have been here for so long,” Robles said.
“That’s what we want: To have a more intact bond. That’s important.”
Those newcomers included Robles and her National University teammates, libero Jen Nierva and setter Joyme Cagande, along with former queen Tigress Eya Laure and middle blocker Imee Hernandez—all of whom started bolstering Chery Tiggo in the previous Invitational Conference where the Crossovers had a forgettable stint after finishing at the eighth spot.
“[The All-Filipino Conference] was much better compared to the last conference. Our first conference was our baseline for where we were,” the outside hitter said. “I am still not satisfied with what I am showing inside the court … but it’s a process, I need to have an improvement in training, especially in games,” the 24-year-old Robles said. “There is still something lacking in our team, but we are close to what we are working for.”