Nxled averted a major collapse, turning back Farm Fresh in five sets, 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 20-25, 15-12, to sustain its strong start in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Siklab series on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Chameleons weathered a furious fightback from the Foxies, who rallied from a two-set deficit to force a decider. However, Nxled held its ground in the fifth set to clinch the victory and improve to 2-0, pulling level with Choco Mucho atop the standings.
Nxled leaned on Myla Pablo’s experience and composure, with the veteran spiker delivering crucial points in crunch time to help the Chameleons fend off Farm Fresh’s spirited comeback and preserve their unbeaten record.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
With the Foxies threatening to close the gap, Pablo delivered back-to-back kills to stretch Nxled’s lead to 13-10. Ces Molina’s off-the-block hit briefly kept Farm Fresh alive, but Pablo answered with a ruthless cross-court kill to bring the Chameleons to the brink of victory at 14-11.
Royse Tubino then staved off a match point with a cross-court strike, only for Pablo to deliver the final blow with a decisive block on Tubino, slamming the door on the Foxies’ comeback bid.
“I think that the game is made of two decisive parts. In the first part, our strategy definitely worked well. Also, the mixing worked well. And in the second part, to be honest, they simply played better than us,” said Nxled head coach Ettore Guidetti.
“I’m happy anyway because this is a win against a very good team. And this is a win against a team that, honestly, is difficult for us to play with. They showed us in the last year,” he added.
Brooke Van Sickle led the Chameleons with 20 points on 14 attacks and six kill blocks, while also recording 16 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions. Pablo chipped in 17 markers on 11 attacks and six kill blocks in the two-hour, 19-minute victory.
Jackie Acuña added 12 points, including seven of Nxled’s 23 kill blocks, as the Chameleons turned their dominance at the net into a decisive advantage. That, despite being outscored in attacks, 59-69, and aces, 2-5.
Gel Cayuna finished with 31 excellent sets and six excellent digs, while MJ Phillips and Jonah Sabete-Escamillan contributed 11 and nine points, respectively. Escamillan also tallied 19 excellent receptions.
Nxled will face Galeries Tower next on Thursday at 1:00 PM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, aiming to extend its winning streak to three games.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Ces Molina paced Farm Fresh, which fell to 1-1, with 16 points, 11 excellent digs, and 11 excellent receptions, while Mylene Paat finished with 12 points.
Rizza Cruz, Trisha Tubu, and Jonna Perdido added nine points apiece. Alohi Robins-Hardy dished out 23 excellent sets to go with three points.
The Foxies, meanwhile, will look to bounce back when they take on Choco Mucho on Thursday at 6:00 PM.
