Chery Tiggo Crossovers during the PVL on Tour game against Cignal HD Spikers. –PVL PHOTO
Ren Peñafiel continued to prove her worth as the steal of the draft as Chery Tiggo dealt Cignal its first defeat with a rousing 25-13, 26-28, 25-15, 25-15 win for a 3-0 lead in Pool B of the PVL on Tour on Saturday at City of Passi Arena in Iloilo.
In the battle of unbeaten squads, the Crossovers came out strong right from the get-go with a 20-9 margin to start the opening set, with third-round pick Peñafiel leading the charge with 18 points from 12 kills, three blocks, and three aces.
READ: PVL: Cut from UAAP team, Peñafiel shows worth at Chery Tiggo
“We’re lucky to have them because they already have that character in them. Of course, Peñafiel came from UST, Soreno from La Salle. They have that champion’s heart. It means a lot to us that they already have that kind of mindset and character as athletes,” said Chery Tiggo coach Norman Miguel in Filipino.
“We’re proud not only of Peñafiel but also of the other rookies we drafted, who are gradually adjusting and catching up with our system. We can see their heart and how much they really want to play for Chery Tiggo and prove themselves for the team.”
Chery Tiggo brought the momentum in the second but lost steam, blowing a 21-14 lead, as Tin Tiamzon and Heather Guino-o forced a deuce, at 24-all, followed by two consecutive errors from the Crossovers.
The HD Spikers reached set point before Erika Santos and Guino-o clinched the frame to tie the game at one set apiece.
Chery Tiggo’s Renee Penafiel during the PVL on Tour game against Cignal HD Spikers. –PVL PHOTO
The Crossovers then caught fire in the last two sets, dominating the erstwhile unbeaten HD Spikers to stay undefeated in three games, nearing an outright quarterfinal berth.
“The usual thing we do is to really study our opponents. We go through our normal process of reviewing game footage, and we strategize on how we can counter what our opponents do. Thankfully, it translated well and was effective for us,” Miguel said.
“It feels really good. I’m really happy for the team. We’ve kept things low-key here. We came from a rough record last conference, and it’s only now that we’re slowly instilling my system. It’s good to see that they’re adapting to it.”
Ara Galang also delivered the goods with 15 points. Iloilo native Cess Robles contributed 14 points and 14 digs. Fit-again Imee Hernandez had 11 points. Setter Alina Bicar paced the team with 25 excellent sets, while libero Angela Nunag took care of the floor with 16 receptions and 15 digs.
Passi’s Aby Maraño also had an impressive homecoming with seven points, including timely hits in the third that led Chery’s dominant bounce back from the second-set meltdown.
Chery Tiggo guns for its fourth straight win against Creamline, which dropped to 2-2 after losing to ZUS Coffee in five sets earlier, on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
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Cignal fell to 3-1, with Erika Santos the lone double-digit scorer with 14 points. The HD Spikers seek to bounce back against the 2-1 ZUS Coffee on Sunday at 4 p.m.
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