Chery Tiggo Crossovers’ Eya Laure during a PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals match. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.met
MANILA, Philippines — Chery Tiggo coach KungFu Reyes assured that Eya Laure is doing fine despite hurting her right pinky finger in their tough semifinal round opener loss to Petro Gazz.
The main concern for the team, however, is recovering mentally and physically for their remaining games in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Laure accidentally collided with her teammate Shaya Adorador while trying to save the ball late in the fourth set. It took time for her to stand up but she decided to keep playing only for the Crossovers absorb a 20-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-16 loss to the Angels.
SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals 2024
Reyes said that Laure, his player since high school, is cleared to play in their remaining semis games against Choco Mucho on Thursday and Creamline on Sunday, needing to win both matches to stay in the PVL Finals race.
Eya Laure hurt her right finger after accidentally colliding with Shaya Adorador. But she decided to continue playing. #PVL2024 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/Fp6wu7JLn9
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) April 30, 2024
“Nothing to worry, nothing serious. It’s like a jammed finger in basketball. It’s an accidental collision with Shaya. What’s important is she is safe,” said Reyes of Laure, who scored 15 points.
The Chery Tiggo coach is putting a premium on mental and physical recovery as they only had a day to prepare for their next semis match.
READ: PVL: Petro Gazz subdues Chery Tiggo to gain early lead in semis
“This is not the team that won seven straight games, especially in the last two sets,” Reyes said. “This should serve as a wake-up call that the competition is tougher in the semis.”
“We worked hard and prepared well but we failed to execute the in-game adjustments. We couldn’t find a spark and match the level of Petro Gazz. It’s just a bad game. No reasons, no alibis, Petro Gazz wanted it more,” he added.
With Mylene Paat’s availability on Thursday still up in the air as she comes back from the South Korea tryouts, Reyes will continue to focus on the pieces he has in trying to revive their championship hopes.
The Crossovers coach remains confident of his players, who are experienced and seasoned, believing they will bounce back and learn from their mistakes.
If Chery Tiggo and Creamline lose on Thursday, Choco Mucho and Petro Gazz will forge a best-of-three Finals duel.