Tatjana Bokan and Chery Tiggo weathered yet another offensive storm, carving their second win of the 2020 PSL Grand Prix in a grueling manner, Tuesday night.
The Crossovers repelled Maeva Orle’s 50-point outburst, dispatching an upset-seeking PLDT with a five-set, 18-25, 21-25, 25-22, 28-26, 15-12 escape act behind closed doors at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Bokan needed to let loose 35 points, dragging Chery Tiggo out of a two-set mire and coming up huge in the final stretch of the match.
Fortunately, the Montenegrin reinforcement received ample support in the fifth set.
Behind Shaya Adorador’s steady service game, the Crossovers raced to a 6-0 spread. Orle refused to go down without a fight, though, trimming the deficit point by point to knock to within one, 10-11.
Adorador came through once again before Rachel Austero pushed Chery Tiggo to a 13-10 advantage. Orle once again powered another PLDT surge, slicing the deficit to a solitary point, 12-13.
Austero restored order with a quick hit at the middle, setting up Bokan’s match-clincher via a thunderous hit.
Elaine Kasilag was also instrumental in the fightback with 11 points. Austero and Adorador supplemented 10 and seven markers, respectively.
The Crossovers rose to 2-1, regaining their form after a straight-set loss to Petron. They also kept the Power Hitters winless in three matches.
PLDT had the chance to capture its breakthrough moment after Orle closed in on Chery Tiggo late in the third set, 22-23. But just like in the final frame, Austero and Bokan proved clutch as they connived for the set-clinching blows.
No other Power Hitter scored in double-digits.
Aiko Urdas managed seven points while Joyce Sta. Rita had five. That’s pretty much the offensive help Orle received from the rest of PLDT in the deflating loss.
Chery Tiggo seeks to sustain its form when it takes on Cignal on Saturday, March 14. Meanwhile, PLDT tries to crack into the winning column when it faces the undefeated Petron on the same day. Both matches will be played at the Muntinlupa Sports Center.
