HERE COMES CHERY: Crossovers outduel Foxies, march to quarterfinals

Chery Tiggo finally punched a quarterfinal ticket following a hard-fought 29-27, 15-25, 25-22, 25-21 victory over Farm Fresh in the Play-in phase of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.

After a shaky campaign in the preliminaries, the Crossovers displayed their resilience, refusing to roll over after a tight opening set before delivering the finishing kills in the fourth to avenge their previous loss to Foxies and advance to the quarterfinals of the country’s most prestigious women’s professional volleyball league.

Ara Galang delivered a stellar performance with 20 points built on 16 attacks, three blocks, and an ace while Shaya Adorador added 18 points and Cess Robles chipped in 13 to fuel Chery Tiggo’s vaunted offense.

Farm Fresh’s Trisha Tubu put up a fight with 22 points, including 20 attacks and two blocks while Jolina Dela Cruz, Rizza Cruz and Lorene Toring each contributed 12 points, but their efforts fell short against Chery Tiggo’s determined stand.

In fact, the Foxies managed to climb back with a masterful second-set win, but the Crossovers kept their composure, regaining control in the third and sealing the match in the fourth with Adorador’s powerful attack through the block to formalize their entry to the Last Eight.

Chery Tiggo will be facing powerhouse Creamline in a best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Galang expressed her excitement about securing a quarterfinal berth but remained focused on the challenges ahead.

“We’re happy to make it to the quarterfinals, but this is just the beginning. We need to keep working hard and winning,” said Galang, who is no stranger in performing on crucial stretches after serving as the main gun of De La Salle University in college and F2 Logistics in the early part of her professional career.

Galang also emphasized the team’s mental fortitude, especially after dropping the second set.

“Our mindset was simple: We couldn’t afford to lose. Even though we had a setback in the second set, we treated the third and fourth as a fresh start, and that helped us regain control,” Galang added.

Adorador echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of seizing every opportunity to close out sets.

“If we have a chance to finish a set, we need to take it. It becomes more difficult later if we let it slip away,” she said.

With the quarterfinals looming, Galang emphasized the need for stronger team cohesion.

“We have to work together even more. That’s our main focus moving forward,” she said.