Chery Tiggo turns back Cignal

Eya Laure showed composure under tremendous pressure in lifting Chery Tiggo from the jaws of defeat with a 17-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 16-14, escape over Cignal for a fifth straight win in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Tuesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Crossovers workhorse delivered 26 points she collected off 21 attacks, three kill blocks and two aces including the game-winning service winner that sealed the two-hour, 37-minute victory.

Chery Tiggo moved up to second spot with a 7-1 win-loss record behind defending champion Creamline (7-0).

"Five sets and a close game, it's everybody's ball game. Whoever blinks first will leave the floor full of regrets. Thankfully it was us who got the win," Crossovers assistant coach Kungfu Reyes.

Chery Tiggo saw its 13-11 lead in the fifth set evaporate as Ces Molina rallied Cignal to match point advantage, 14-13, with a sizzling counterattack.

Laure, who had 11 digs, saved a match point, Czarina Carandang scored a kill block on Molina to take the match point advantage. Laure landed the service winner to snap the HD Spikers' five-game winning streak.

Cess Robles added 18 points, while Mylene Paat and Carandang had 11 markers each for the Crossovers.

Chery Tiggo clawed its way out of a 15-19 hole in the fourth set, blasting four straight unanswered points to even the count before battling Cignal in a back-and-fourth race to the finish.

Vanie Gandler put the HD Spikers up, 22-21, but Pauline Gaston sparked a closing 4-0 blast with Robles hammering the set-sealing kill to force the decider.

Gandler got 20 points, Molina posted 14, Ria Meneses made 12 while Jovelyn Gonzaga finished with 10 for Cignal. Gel Cayuna tallied 24 excellent sets and 10 points while Roselyb Doria got 10 in a lost cause as the HD Spikers slid to a 6-3 mark at fourth spot.

In the first game, Petro Gazz stopped a four-game bleeding after downing Farm Fresh, 25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 26-24 behind Jonah Sabete's 21-point explosion.

Sabete led four other Angels in double figures with her scoring prowess in full display with 16 spikes, three kill blocks and two aces while adding 10 digs as Petro Gazz improved to a 5-4 slate.

The Angels used a strong third set to regain the match lead after splitting the first two sets but needed to hang tough in the fourth to silence the feisty Foxies.

"First, I'm very happy that we were able to win the game. Knowing that this is a very crucial game for us especially if we want to keep our semifinals hopes alive. So, we really have to work for it. At least we're happy we won and we're able execute well inside the court," Angels head coach Timmy Sto. Tomas said.

Farm Fresh, which came off a breakthrough franchise win, kept the fourth frame close and even held a 21-20 lead off a Trisha Tubu hit. The Foxies threatened to force a fifth frame after Djanel Cheng committed an error to move at set point, 24-23.

The Angels saved a set point before Grethcel Soltones hammered back-to-back hits to wrap up the one-hour, 56-minute victory.

Soltones had 13 kills to finish with 16 points and had 12 excellent receptions for Petro Gazz. Aiza Maizo-Pontillas had 13 points while KC Galdones and Marian Buitre had 10 each for the Angels.