Chery Tiggo’s painful loss handed by a young Akari squad last week struck a nerve on the Crossovers.
It was a wake-up call Chery Tiggo needed to remind the squad that the second serving of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference won’t be an easy journey.
The Crossovers responded to the challenge with a 25-8, 25-12, 25-20 win over Gerflor to get back on their feet yesterday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Head coach Aaron Velez was just glad his players showed great character bouncing back from a loss that snapped their two-game win streak to start the season-ending conference.
But the mentor admitted that Chery Tiggo’s 20-25, 25-18, 22-25, 20-25, loss to the Chargers hit differently.
“After that loss, everyone’s really quiet. It felt like we were just waiting who will be the first to react,” Velez said.
“But the following day we huddled together, talked and tried to address what we needed to improve on without even going personal and emotional because we knew we still had to work on the task at hand.”
Chery Tiggo had a full week to prepare for a bounce back and Velez’s crew delivered a dominating performance that saw 12 players put up points led by Eya Laure.
The 2021 Open Conference winners improved to a 3-1 win-loss record.
“We used that one week gap before our game (against Gerflor) to reflect on what transpired in our match against Akari. Our coaches were there to help us and guide us to get back on our feet, address our lapses,” Laure said.
She just scored 12 points including 11 attacks.
Velez lauded the Crossovers for showing great character and focusing on the bigger picture.
“We just have to be proactive with what happened (in that loss) because we can’t dwell on that. We still have a long way to go in the league,” he said. “But at the same time we need to have a sense of urgency because every point, every set counts.”
“So I think that was the mindset that we have to get back to work, trust the process and be matured right away.”
Laure, who has been stepping up in the absence of injured veteran Mylene Paat, shared the same sentiment.
“Just like what coach A said, we have to come out stronger after a tough loss. We won against them last conference but it doesn’t mean that our defeat at their hands this conference will define us. Just keep on working and move forward,” the University of Santo Tomas product said.
Chery Tiggo faces another acid test on Saturday in a showdown against Petro Gazz at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
