Crossovers secure PVL final slot

Chery Tiggo reorganized after a second frame setback to send fancied Cignal packing, 25-17, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, and claim a seat in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) On Tour championship Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Veteran winger Ara Galang turned back the hands of time with a vintage performance to lead the Crossovers back into the final for the first time in four years.

Galang fired 15 points with 14 coming off kills, including the game-clinching attack that sealed Chery Tiggo’s return in the biggest stage since ruling the 2021 Open Conference bubble in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte – the first competition of the PVL as a professional league.

“I don’t want to stop here. We’re in the finals and I just want to grab this rare opportunity,” Galang said, entering her first championship stint as a pro.

Chery Tiggo will face the survivor between the other semifinal pairing between Creamline and unbeaten PLDT, which are playing at press time, in the winner-take-all final on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Crossovers turned the tables around in the third frame with a momentum-shifting comeback from six points down early. It turned into a tug-of-war from there before Chery Tiggo shattered a 21-21 deadlock with a closing 4-0 barrage punctuated by a Galang hit.

Smelling blood, the Crossovers built a 22-16 lead in the fourth frame before the HD Spikers made it interesting with a strong fightback to close in, 23-22, off a Heather Guino-o ace in a 6-1 run.

Imee Hernandez pushed Chery Tiggo at match point before Erika Santos saved a point for Cignal. Galang didn’t allow the HD Spikers to force a deuce, banging in the finishing blow to end the two-hour, 16-minute encounter.

“I’m very proud of the whole team from the players to my coaching staff and up to our PTs (physical therapists) and the crew. We came through a lot especially in the past few days since we have players that skipped practice because of illness,” Chery Tiggo head coach Norman Miguel said.

“Good thing we managed it and got this result.”

Cess Robles added 15 markers with 11 digs and 11 excellent receptions while Hernandez and Renee Penafiel scored 12 and 10, respectively, for the Crossovers. Jasmine Nabor, the only active holdover from the team’s last championship run, tallied 21 excellent sets and five points.

Cignal fell short of advancing into the championship round for the second straight conference since a runner-up finish in the 2024 Invitational Conference.

Santos saw her 26-point explosion come to naught for the HD Spikers. She had 22 kills and four kill blocks while Ishie Lalongisip added 13 markers.