CHERY Tiggo's dominating offense wouldn't be what is it right now if it weren't for setter Alina Bicar.
What drives the former University of Santo Tomas standout, who started for the first time this season, is her passion for the craft, said head coach Aaron Velez.
Velez attests to Alina Bicar's impact
"Alina now is really showing a lot of heart. I can see the aggressiveness. Hindi yan masalita, hindi yan yung talagang expressive," he said as the squad out-dueled F2 Logsitics in straight sets tor remain unbeaten.
"Kasi si Alina... minsan pinapaalalahanan mag cool down pero kapag tumutok yan, tuloy tuloy. Makikita mo yung love niya sa sport," he added.
Indeed, since Bicar managed the playmaking duties of the Crossovers, Chery Tiggo has became offensively dominant.
She led the team's balanced scoring against the Cargo Movers with 20 excellent sets that allowed four Crossovers to notch double figures in only three sets on Thursday.
Mylene Paat pumped her usual numbers, tallying 22 points while Shaya Adorador added 13 markers. EJ Laure had 12 while Cza Carandang chipped in 10.
"Si Alina kasi short setter talaga maliit pag once na nasa loob siya hindi namin naffeel na ganun yung height nya. Ngayon nakakablock, nakakasingle block and yung leadership," team captain Paat said of the young playmaker.
"Kumbaga sa barko siya yung captain. Ako yung captain ng team pero siya yung captain ng game," she added.
But for Bicar, her ultimate goal is to help the team collect wins by performing well as a setter.
"Ako kasi yung nasa isip ko lagi everytime na ipapasok ako gusto ko magpeperform ako. Gusto ko maghelp sa team kapag kailangan nila ako basta always lang ako ready," she said.
The Crossovers are now tied with defending champions Creamline at the top of the standings with a 3-0 win-loss slate, and hopes to keep their record immaculate when they face PLDT on Feb. 21, Tuesday, at PhilSports Arena.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph