Khat Bell unleashed 39 points as Chery Tiggo handed PLDT its first loss in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10, creating a three-way tie atop Pool A on Saturday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Bell, the Crossovers’ American import, delivered her best performance in the PVL so far with 33 attacks, five blocks, and an ace, while also making 11 excellent receptions. She now holds the fifth-best scoring game in league history.
“Ang maganda, nanalo kami, yung adjustment namin lumabas na ulit. It’s a big win for us kasi nga sa standing, at least nandoon kami sa top three,” said Chery Tiggo head coach Kungfu Reyes.
“Obviously, the goal is to get three points tonight and I’ll take two, but 39 points is cool. I really don’t like the errors honestly—probably had 10—but I feel good. I’m glad we got the win tonight, and that’s the positive thing,” said Bell, still challenging herself to improve.
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Bell made key plays in the decisive fifth set, while Ara Galang and Pauline Gaston also contributed to the Crossovers’ bounce-back win after losing to Creamline in their previous game.
Fiola Ceballos led PLDT’s finishing push in the fourth set, scoring four of their last six points to force a fifth set.
“Ang maganda, nanalo kami, pero ‘yung adjustment namin lumabas na ulit. Very unfortunate lang may nararamdaman na si Ara sa calf niya, pero again, a win is a win. Yung ginagawa namin sa training, yung adjustments, so yun naman. Luckily, si Mylene (Paat), ano na, nagaano kami ng tao eh, nagpe-preserve kami ng tao kasi medyo mahahaba pa yung liga,” said Crossovers head coach Kungfu Reyes.
Galang supported Bell with 23 points, including 19 spikes, two blocks, and two aces, while liberos Karen Verdeflor and Buding Duremdes excelled on defense with 12 and 11 excellent digs, respectively.
The Crossovers, High Speed Hitters, and Cool Smashers all hold a 3-1 record, with Farm Fresh as the only remaining team with a chance to crack the top three in their group at 2-2.
(C) PVL Images
Russian guest player Elena Samoilenko led PLDT with 24 points. Erika Santos added 20 points, while Ceballos contributed 16 points, 24 receptions, and 14 digs.
The match featured fewer errors, with the Crossovers committing only 15 and the High Speed Hitters 18.
Chery Tiggo will finish the first round against Galeries on Thursday at 5 p.m., while PLDT will aim to bounce back earlier at 1 p.m. against Farm Fresh.
