MONTALBAN, Rizal — Chery Tiggo bucked a slow start to its preseason opener by thwarting Capital1, 20-25, 25-23, 25-12, 28-26, in the PVL on Tour on Saturday at the Ynares Center II.
The Crossovers had to erase two Capital1 set points in the fourth frame before converting their third match point through an attack error from Shola Alvarez, its top scorer with 13 points and 11 receptions.
An 11-1 set-clinching run in the third frame gave Chery Tiggo full control over a Capital1 side that had newfound confidence upon winning its first set of the tournament.
The Crossovers are now on the board in Pool B at 1-0 while the Solar Spikers drop dead-last with their third straight loss in pool play.
Rookie winger and eighth-overall draft pick Baby Jyne Soreno left a strong first impression in her PVL debut with 15 points on 14 attacks and one block.
From one rookie hitter to another, rookie Renee Penafiel posted 11 points and five receptions in her first pro outing.
Cess Robles topscored for the Crossovers with 17 points and nine digs as the returning Imee Hernandez pitched in eight points in her first game back from an undisclosed knee injury back in the 2023 PVL Second All-Filipino Conference 19 months ago.
Chery Tiggo can go for the two-game Montalban leg sweep on Sunday against Akari.
The search for an elusive first win continues for Capital1 as it closes out the Montalban twin bill versus a retooled ZUS Coffee.
One week off for one big fight
The Crossovers only took a week off since the conclusion of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference, one that ran for nearly half a year.
It goes without saying that Chery Tiggo really hit the gas hard in a bid for a winning start as early as the league's two-month preseason spectacle.
Chery Tiggo head coach Norman Miguel hopes such an extended period of preparations will fuel them to title contention again sooner than later.
"Hindi lang 'to extra preparation, super extra preparation. After nung last conference, yung All-Filipino, one week lang kami nag-rest tapos balik ulit sa training hanggang ngayon," Miguel said.
"Sabi ko nga sa mga players namin na sana, yun yung palaging gawin nilang motivation na one week lang kayong nagpahinga, ang laki ng sinacrifice niyo, tuloy-tuloy yung training at hard work niyo.
"Kaya dapat pagdating sa game, mailabas niyo siya at ma-translate niyo siya into winning para masarap yung pakiramdam talaga."
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