Khat Bell and Chery Tiggo celebrate their victory over ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in the PVL Reinforced Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Chery Tiggo crossed to the quarterfinal round of the PVL Reinforced Conference after a swift 25-18, 25-18, 25-19 dismantling of also-ran ZUS Coffee on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Khat Bell fueled the Crossovers with 28 points from 24 attacks, with a 44 percent attack efficiency, and four blocks to a 5-2 card.
“There is still a lot to adjust. Although we won, we still need to prepare the team for the quarterfinals,” coach KungFu Reyes said in Filipino.
READ: PVL: Choco Mucho stays alive, outlasts Chery Tiggo
Chery Tiggo coach KungFu Reyes and Khat Bell after their bounce back win. #PVL2024 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/55aQSV5ttw
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) August 17, 2024
“We have plays that we executed well especially at the net but the lapses that we are correcting are still there so we still need to correct those during training,” he added.
Mylene Paat, stepping in for injured teammate and second-best scorer of Chery Tiggo Ara Galang, came up with 11 points to help the Crossovers bounce back from a defeat to Choco Mucho previously.
“We were able to control ZUS Coffee but in the first set [the Thunderbelles’] rally was really good but in the mid-game we finally got our timing until the end,” Reyes said.
The Thunderbelles, who were paced by Japanese import Asaka Tamaru’s 12 points, were left searching for a breakthrough franchise win after dropping all of their seven games.
With little resistance from ZUS Coffee, Chery Tiggo went on a 5-1 spurt for a 20-15 cushion in the deciding set.
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Bell stopped Mich Gamit, who had nine points, before scoring the last five points of the Crossovers on the way to the win.
“I am so proud of my team. I admire their attitude and motivation to get back in the gym this week and really work hard. They really put some effort in this week,” Bell said.
ZUS will get one last chance to get a win this conference against Creamline on Thursday.
Chery Tiggo can better its position in the standings if it remains successful against Petro Gazz on Thursday.