MANILA, Philippines – Chery Tiggo secured the second spot and eliminated the Philippine Army in the process with a 25-16, 25-14, 26-28, 25-15 win at the end of the PNVF Champions League elimination round Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Crossovers hardly needed the services of ace spikers Eya Laure, Mylene Paat and Ara Galang, who did not see action in all four sets, in capturing their third straight win for a 3-1 record heading into the Final Four.
EJ Laure erupted for 21 points on 17 hits and four blocks while Shaya Adorador hammered 20 on 14 attacks, five aces and a block to carry the torch in lieu of the troika hitters as well as skipper Aby Maraño, who only played two sets.
Princess Robles was also instrumental with 14 points while Seth Rodriguez and Pauline Gaston threw in nine and seven points, respectively, in the Crossovers’ scattered attack.
Chery Tiggo, which acquired former F2 Logistics players Galang and Maraño in the offseason, will face the No. 3 team in the knockout semifinals.
That squad will either be College of St. Benilde (1-2) or Petro Gazz (1-2), which were to play as of press time in the pivotal match featuring the loser in a tough draw against unbeaten top-seed Cignal (4-0).
“Well, na-secure namin yung No. 2 pero still, ang magma-matter dito yung bakbakan sa semifinals kasi wala namang 2x to beat advantage,” said coach Kungfu Reyes.
“Whoever it is (na makakalaban), naka-ready kami.”
Chery Tiggo, which avenged its lone defeat against Cignal in the opener with back-to-back wins against St. Benilde and Petro Gazz, pounced on the Army with a 2-0 blitz highlighted by huge margins.
The Crossovers fell short from completing a sweep after veteran Jovelyn Gonzaga and Honey Royse Tubino powered the Lady Troopers to a thrilling 28-26 win in the third before pulling away for an emphatic 25-15 win in the clincher.
Tubino (13) and Gonzaga (10) were the only twin-digit scorers for the Philippine Army, which finished winless at 0-4 in the five-team tilt to crash out of contention.