Chery Tiggo ran over debuting Philippine Army, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 25-12, for back-to-back wins and a share of the lead in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Saturday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Following a late second set meltdown, the Crossovers shifted into high gear to cruise in the next two frames on their way to their second straight victory in as many games to join idle defending champion Creamline on top of the leaderboard.
Mylene Paat scored 26 points she collected off a 22-of-52 attacking clip and four kill blocks to lead Chery Tiggo, which blasted a 14-3 blitz in the fourth set to cap the one-hour, 58-minute encounter.
The veteran opposite hitter was also active on floor defense with 12 digs and had plenty of help on offense with EJ Laure and Cza Carandang chipping in with 12 markers each. New recruit Pauline Gaston debuted with eight points and seven excellent receptions off the bench after not playing in the Crossovers’ first game.
“After we dropped the second set, I told my teammates that we were a little impatient on our offense. I just reminded them to keep our focus and composure,” Paat said.
Chery Tiggo failed to carry the momentum of its first set comeback as Army saw an opening to equalize. Jeanette Villareal broke a 22-22 deadlock with a head for the Lady Troopers followed by a Carandang attack error.
Gaston saved a set point before Royse Tubino closed the set with a through the block kill to tie the match at 1-1.
The Crossovers found the Lady Troopers a tough nut to crack right from the opening set. Chery Tiggo needed a late comeback in the first set, scoring five straight to claw its way back from a 20-21 deficit to steal the frame.
Tubino led Army, which gave away 28 points off errors, with 16 points including 14 off spikes and 15 excellent receptions while Villareal got 12 points.
Nene Bautista had nine markers and 12 digs in a lost cause for the Lady Troopers, who are now on a 14-game losing streak starting from last year’s Invitational Conference.
