Chery Tiggo pulls off a surprise when it hired Khat Bell as import in the Reinforced Conference of the Premier Volleyball League next month.

The Crossovers made the announcement on Wednesday, rolling out the red carpet for the power-hitting American who led Petron to a pair of Philippine Superliga (PSL) titles in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the Grand Prix.

“Khat is back and Khat is home,” the Crossovers said in an announcement.

“Welcome back to the Philippines and welcome home to the Chery family, Khat Bell.”

Bell said she is excited to make a return to power the Crossovers to the PVL title.

“For the fans who don’t know me, I bring a lot,” the 31-year-old open spiker said.

“I bring a lot of energy, a little sass, and definitely I bring a winning mentality. I’m excited to be able to come back here and perform to the best of my ability and, hopefully, help Chery Tiggo to the top.”

With Bell’s hiring, the Crossovers had fired a warning shot to the rest of the league, proving that they were determined to reclaim their glory in the import-flavored conference when they won two titles as the Foton Tornadoes in the defunct PSL.

The 6-foot-2 Bell, after all, is a seasoned international campaigner who had already seen action in various professional leagues in South Korea, Puerto Rico, Turkey, and the Philippines, where she became a household name due to her skills, power, and great attitude.

In fact, she took the PSL by storm when she replaced injured Hilary Hurley to join Stephanie Niemer in leading Petron to the Grand Prix title in 2018, a tourney that was highlighted by her explosive 42-point performance in a five-set win over F2 Logistics on 1 May.

Bell returned to the league the following year but the Grand Prix was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting her to fly back to the United States after playing just a single game.

At Chery Tiggo, Bell will be reunited with Ian Fernandez, who served as assistant coach at Petron, and former Blaze Booster Aby Marano while playing a crucial role in the system of head coach Kungfu Reyes.

“Even though I’m new to Chery Tiggo, I’m fortunate enough to be playing with Aby,” she said.

“There are a few players as well that I’m excited to see, my old teammates from my old team. Coming to Chery Tiggo, I’m really excited just to be here.”