Paat brings out best from Chery
Games Tuesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4 p.m. – Cignal vs Akari / 6:30 p.m. – Choco Mucho vs Creamline Chery Tiggo fended off an early resistance from Army Black Mamba and carved out a 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 25-12 victory yesterday to seize a share of the lead with Creamline in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at the PhilSports Arena.
Mylene Paat unleashed 26 points including 22 on kills as the Crossovers claimed their second win in a row that catapulted them to the top along with the Cool Smashers.
Not only did Paat do the heavy lifting, the 2022 Reinforced Conference MVP also provided the leadership and the calming presence that her team badly needed when the 2021 Open Conference champion was pushed to the limit with that second-set defeat.
“Actually, nung natalo kami sa second set ang sabi ko lang sa teammates ko huwag masyado kami mag-madali, dun nawawala composure and focus namin inside the court so kailangan namin kumalma para bumalik ulet ang game namin,” said Paat, who had a 15-hit performance in a 27-25, 25-19, 25-22 win over Cignal last Tuesday.
And that was what the Crossovers did as they came back to dominate the last two sets with Paat teaming up with setter Alina Bicar in a devastating salvo that the Lady Troopers found no answer for.
Army Black Mamba, which was led by Honey Royse Tubino’s 16 points, holds a 0-1 card.
Chery Tiggo coach Aaron Velez was all praises of Paat.
“She was able to guide us through,” he said of his team captain.
Paat also loved the way her new teammates performed.
It included Ponggay Gaston, the former Choco Mucho spiker who continued to show promise with her new club as she contributed eight points.
In the nightcap, F2 Logistics likewise grabbed a piece of the lead after it claimed its second straight win at the expense of Akari, 25-22, 25-23, 25-18. The Chargers dropped to 0-2.