By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Chery Tiggo Crossovers are off to a waxing hot start in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference after blanking the NXLED Chameleons, 25-16, 25-20, 25-23, to extend its undefeated record to 2-0 on July 20, 2024.
Chery Tiggo picked up where they left off after a lopsided victory over the Farm Fresh Foxies and continued its balanced attack to deal NXLED the same 3-0 fate.
Khat Bell, Chery Tiggo’s American reinforcement, once again spearheaded her squad’s offensive brilliance and dropped 21 points in just three sets.
The all-around outside hitter created her 21 hits from 19 successful attacks and also contributed to the floor defense of the Crossovers after tallying 10 excellent digs.
It was Bell who set the tone for Chery Tiggo after pummeling the Chameleons’ middle blockers with her powerful cross-court spikes.
However, midway through the second set, NXLED began to deploy double coverages on Bell which paved the way for Ara Galang and Shaya Adorador to step up for the Crossovers.
The 1-2 punch provided the much-needed scoring when Bell couldn’t produce and halted a massive run from the Chameleons when they attempted to steal the crucial third set.
After two quick set wins from Chery Tiggo to bag a sizeable 2-0 lead, NXLED displayed a better performance in the third to keep the game close.
The Chameleons turned the game into a see-saw affair midway through the third set and got a huge boost after their floor defense prevented any freebies from the Crossovers.
Steering Chery Tiggo in the clutch third set win was still the trio of Bell, Galang, and Adorador as they scored timely hits to pull away in the final four possessions of the game.
Chery Tiggo will look to extend its undefeated PVL campaign on July 25, 2024, against the Galeries Tower Highrisers in the last game of the scheduled triple-header.
Meanwhile, the Chameleons will attempt to bounce back on the same day and will face the reigning PVL All-Filipino Conference queens, the Creamline Cool Smashers.
