MONTALBAN, RIZAL — Chery Tiggo displayed resilience and composure as it eked out a gritty 24-26, 25-19, 25-16, 23-25, 15–10 victory over a streaky but error-prone Akari side in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League On Tour at the Ynares Center here on Sunday.
Cess Robles once again led the charge for the Crossovers with 23 points and 15 excellent digs, while third-round rookie Renee Peñafiel continued to prove her worth. Peñafiel turned in another impressive performance with 12 points and eight excellent receptions — cementing her case as one of the steals of the draft.
The Chargers committed a staggering 41 errors in the match, including seven in the decisive fifth set alone — essentially handing nearly half of Chery Tiggo’s final frame points on a silver platter.
Still, it was eighth overall pick Jyne Soreño who stepped up in the clutch, delivering a piercing down-the-line hit. She then sealed the win with an ace that clipped the net cord, ending the two-hour and 34-minute battle.
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“Masayang masaya. Siyempre, ‘di ba, two games tapos two wins. Kung kahapon, naging parang confidence booster yung pagkapanalo, all the more na ito. Itong pagkapanalo. Kasi malaking bagay ‘to sa’min ‘to eh. Sobrang masaya,” said Chery Tiggo head coach Norman Miguel as they moved to 2-0 in Pool B, currently holding second place.
Soreño contributed nine points in the win, while the returning Imee Hernandez chipped in eight. Anngela Nunag also turned in an all-around effort with 24 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions.
Jasmine Nabor was steady at the helm with 28 excellent sets and six points.
Chery Tiggo resumes its preseason schedule on July 19 and 20 at the City of Passi Arena in Iloilo, where it will go head-to-head against Cignal and Creamline.
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On the other end, Ivy Lacsina led the way for Akari with 18 points and 18 excellent receptions. However, it wasn’t enough to avoid their third loss in four outings, keeping them at solo fourth in Group B with a 1-3 record.
Just a day prior, the Chargers survived their own error-prone tendencies in a five-set win over ZUS Coffee (26-24, 25-21, 17-25, 17-25, 17-15), committing 32 errors. But this time, the 41 miscues were simply too much to overcome.
Eli Soyud backed up Lacsina with 17 points and 11 digs, while Ced Domingo added 12 points. Kamille Cal dished out 30 excellent sets in a losing effort.
Akari will conclude its pool play campaign on July 15 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan against Capital1.
