Chery Tiggo’s Eya Laure.–PVL PHOTO
Chery Tiggo knows what it wants to get out of the final week of Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference preliminaries and after adding fuel to its scorching winning run, the Crossovers traveled closer to its desired destination.
“This is a huge win for us because our target is to be semis-bound,” coach KungFu Reyes said in Filipino after Chery Tiggo notched its sixth consecutive win by running over Akari, 25-17, 25-20, 25-17, on Saturday.
Winning against the Chargers allowed the Crossovers to join the 8-2 (win-loss) club at the top along with frontrunners Petro Gazz, Creamline and Choco Mucho, while also effectively eliminating Cignal (6-4), which defeated PLDT, 24-26, 26-24, 25-17, 28-26, in the nightcap at Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna province.
The Angels got to eight wins earlier in the day, beating up Galeries Tower, 25-7, 25-21, 25-17.The High Speed Hitters, currently at 7-3, could still complicate things if they manage to upset the Creamline Cool Smashers in their last assignment.
The Flying Titans, the Angels and the Crossovers lucked out in having their last classification matchups against eliminated squads and would just have to keep their strong forms to secure semifinal seats.
“Our last game is a must-win so we will have a higher chance to reach the Final Four,” Reyes added as the Crossovers gear up for its final elimination game against also-ran Galeries Tower on Thursday.
“I hope we can carry the momentum and the bond that we have built until the end of our remaining games,” said Eya Laure, who finished with 14 points built on nine attacks and three of Chery Tiggo’s seven blocks.
There is no room for complacency for Chery Tiggo and Reyes and his coaching staff has been constantly reminding their crew to respect whoever is on the opposite side of the net—a recurring theme among the Crossovers since their shock loss to Farm Fresh early in the conference.
Given a scare
But Reyes has added a new flavor to that reminder as the tight-knit elimination race nears the end.
“We also need to respect ourselves. That is always our baseline so we don’t get lost,” Reyes added. “The cure for those who forget is reminders so we’ll keep in mind that what’s important now is just be in the moment because the game is not yet done.
“Everyone here wants to win.”Despite already being eliminated, Akari showed just that after giving Chery Tiggo a scare late in the second and third sets.
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 to keep the Crossovers afloat amid the block party of Akari at the net.
Ezra Madrigal paced Akari with 10 points from seven attacks and three of the Chargers’ total eight blocks while captain Michelle Cobb set up her teammates with 10 excellent sets while also logging two points that both came from blocks.
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“We will have the same preparation against Galeries Tower like we do against other teams,” Eya said. “They also train every day and work for victories so on our side, we will do the same to win.”
