Chery Tiggo out-steadied Akari in five difficult sets in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena on Thursday.
Mylene Paat anchored the Crossovers' offense for a 23-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 15-6 win against the Power Charges in PVL's import-flavored conference.
Paat led the way with a team-high 19 points on 17 attacks and 2 blocks.
Despite the absence of Dindin Manabat, the inaugural pro league champions managed to mount a strong fourth-set finish to set the stage for a dominant fifth set.
In the decider, the Crossovers took all but one of the first six points, scoring heavily on drop balls and blocking then never looked back,
“We really had a slow start, so we had to boost their morale by telling them to stay positive and do what they are supposed to do,” said Chery Tiggo coach Clarence Esteban in Filipino.
Cza Carandang added 18 points for Chery Tiggo, which also got 16 points and 13 receptions from import Jelena Cvijovic.
“Nag-exert talaga siya (Cvijovic) ng effort, gusto nyang makabawi,” added Esteban of his reinforcement, who struggled with six points against F2 Logistics.
Manabat, Chery Tiggo's team leader, sat out because of an injury but the locals stepped up big to help stretch their win run to three.
“It’s the team chemistry and we need to further work on this and figure out how to win,” said Paat.
The Crossovers remained undefeated in three games, while the Power Chargers fell to 1-2.