Chery Tiggo felt the creeps in the first two sets but eventually showed its vast superiority for a 25-22, 26-24, 25-19 victory over Nxled for a rousing start in the Play-In tournament of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Shaya Adorador wound up as the unlikely hero, coming up with 14 points, including clutch shots in the dramatic second-set escape and a sizzling start in the third, propelling the Crossovers to a solid 13-8 lead. Her early surge set the tone for Chery Tiggo’s most decisive set, where they dismantled Nxled’s resistance with a well-rounded attack on their way to a one-hour, 39-minute romp.

Risa Sato’s emphatic kill block on Krich Macaslang punctuated another Chery Tiggo scoring spree, extending their lead to 16-10. From there, the Crossovers never looked back, deflecting every comeback attempt and capitalizing on the Chameleons’ faltering execution.

An Ara Galang hit and a Macaslang attack error widened the gap to 19-10, effectively sealing Nxled’s fate as the Chameleons melted away.

Chery Tiggo’s dominant third-set showing stood in contrast to the tight battles of the first two frames, where they showcased composure and resilience in crunch time — qualities lacking in their opponents.

Chery Tiggo coach Norman Miguel outmaneuvered counterpart Guidetti Ettore in crucial endgame adjustments, guiding the Crossovers to victory in the first two sets through strategic plays and a combination of stellar floor and net defense.

Heavy-hitting Cess Robles and Galang powered Chery Tiggo with 15 points each, but it was Adorador who earned Best Player of the Game honors with her stellar all-around performance, highlighted by 11 excellent digs.

“Earlier, I really saw the leadership of the older players, of each one of us, who really wanted to finish the game,” said Robles in Filipino, crediting the team’s veterans for rallying the squad to the win.

“We also talked about how we need to have that killer instinct in the game, and yes, the confidence that we need to carry into the next game — I saw that earlier too. I’m also super proud of my teammates because we played a great game,” she added.

EJ Laure spearheaded Nxled’s offense with 15 points, determined to lift the Chameleons against her former team in the first two sets. However, she lacked sufficient offensive support, with only Chiara Permentilla contributing significantly with 12 points.

The rest of the squad struggled, as May Luna-Lumahan and Jaycel Delos Reyes managed just five points apiece, while Jaila Atienza, Lycha Ebon and Macaslang combined for only nine points.

After battling Nxled on nearly equal footing in attacks through the first two sets, Chery Tiggo asserted full control in the third, finishing with a 47-39 advantage in spikes. The Crossovers also dominated at the net, outblocking their rivals 8-4.

Nxled found some success exploiting Chery Tiggo’s shaky service reception, scoring five aces compared to just two from the Crossovers. However, Chery Tiggo made up for it by capitalizing on Nxled’s miscues, collecting 19 free points while limiting their errors to 10.

Meanwhile, the league, organized by Sports Vision, takes a brief but welcome weekend break.

Chery Tiggo resumes its chase for a quarterfinal berth against the Farm Fresh Foxies on Tuesday.

The six teams that missed direct qualification are battling for the last two quarterfinal slots in a novel round-robin format featuring two groups, with each side’s top finisher advancing to the best-of-three quarterfinals of the tournament organized by Sports Vision.