PVL: Chery Tiggo forces 4-way tie in first place

Chery Tiggo’s Eya Laure.–PVL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Chery Tiggo survived an Akari resurgence in the second frame, 25-17, 25-20, 25-17, to tighten the semifinal race on Saturday at the PVL All-Filipino Conference.

Eya Laure willed the Crossovers to their sixth consecutive win with a 14-point performance from nine attacks, three blocks and an ace to force a four-way logjam at the top along with front-runners Petro Gazz, Creamline and Choco Mucho at 8-2.

“I hope tumuloy talaga siya sa remaining games namin and yung bond na nabuo namin sana madala namin hanggang dulo at nakikita din naman siguro, evident siya sa laro na we got each other’s back,” Laure said.

SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024

Veteran Ara Galang contributed nine points on seven attacks and two blocks while Aby Maraño, Mylene Paat, EJ Laure and Cza Carandang came up with seven points each in the win that effectively eliminated Cignal ahead of its matchup against PLDT in the nightcap.

“Malaking bagay yung panalo namin ngayon kasi nga target namin bound to semis pero meron pa kaming isang game at malaking turning point ito para sa amin kasi yung Akari anytime pwede bumalik so luckily nakuha namin yung panalo,” Chery Tiggo coach KungFu Reyes said ahead of their final preliminary match versus Galeries Tower on Thursday at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Although no longer in contention, Akari made an effort to challenge Chery Tiggo with Ezra Madrigal putting up 10 points from seven attacks and three of the Chargers’ total eight blocks.

Setter Michelle Cobb set up her teammates with 10 excellent sets while also logging two points that both came from blocks.

READ: PVL: Eya Laure, Chery Tiggo stretch win streak to five

Mylene Paat unleashed a down-the-line hit in the second frame which young Akari libero Max Juangco was not able to control to give Chery Tiggo a 17-6 lead before Shaya Adorador landed a cross-court kill that froze the Chargers.

But that was before Akari launched a block party that narrowed Chery Tiggo’s lead to as much as four points highlighted by a 9-1 run by the Chargers, 23-19, behind the net defense of Fifi Sharma and Michelle Cobb with Erika Raagas, Faith Nisperos and Janine Marciano on the offense.

Thankfully, Cess Robles nailed an attack of the block to bail out the Crossovers out of the second set.

Chery Tiggo kept that same intensity in the third set after utilizing a 5-0 run to pull away at 17-9 before Akari made a small run of its own courtesy of Grethcel Soltones’ kill at the hands of Galang and Madrigal’s block of Carandang.

Seasoned Charger Dindin Santiago-Manabat checked in late in the decider but she couldn’t do anything more for her crew as Paat launched another kill for a nine-point Chery Tiggo lead.

Fifi Sharma committed a center line fault that sent the game to 24-14 before Raagas and Jaja Maraguinot scored back-to-back and Robles’ double contact violation. Laure came through for the Crossovers and ended the encounter with a down the line attack.