CHERY BLOSSOMS
Seasoned spikers spell difference in tough victory
Chery Tiggo relied on its veteran smarts to turn back feisty defending champion College of Saint Benilde, 29-27, 27-29, 25-18, 25-23, and barge into the win column of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Seasoned players Aby Maraño and Shaya Adorador delivered at crunch time in the tightly-contested fourth set to carry the Crossovers to their first win in two outings and remain in the race for a semifinal seat.
“I guess our biggest advantage was the maturity of our players inside court although we struggled in the first two sets,” Chery Tiggo assistant coach Brian Esquibel said.
Former Premier Volleyball League Most Valuable Player Mylene Paat led the Crossovers with 16 points with 13 coming off kills spiked with two kill blocks and an ace.
Skipper Maraño and Ara Galang, who both signed with the club after the disbandment of F2 Logistics last December, scored 12 each. Middle Cza Carandang also had 12 points for Chery Tiggo, which recovered from a straight-sets loss to Cignal last Sunday.
The Crossovers found the Lady Blazers a hard nut to crack in the fourth frame as the reigning back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association champions fought back from an early deficit to take a 22-21 lead after a Rhea Densing hit.
Chery Tiggo fired back to move up, 23-22, only to see EJ Laure send her service straight to the net. Adorador, who only played in the fourth set, put the Crossovers at match point with a crucial hit at the middle before Maraño finished off Saint Benilde with her last of two service winners of the game.
“I told them that we need to be matured because if we play at their pace they’ll win a set against us. We were too tight at the start so I told them to loosen up a little and just enjoy the game,” Esquibel said.
Saint Benilde gave Chery Tiggo a tough time in the first two sets with the Crossovers needing to mount a comeback in the opening frame. The Lady Blazers surged from behind to equalize. Gayle Pascual fired 19 points with all but one coming off kills while Wielyn Estoque got 12 points for Saint Benilde, which slid to a 1-1 win-loss card.
Densing and Zamantha Nolasco posted 11 each for the Lady Blazers, who opened their title-retention bid with a five-set victory over Philippine Army last Monday.