"God brought us here, we did the work and God did the rest," said Chery Tiggo captain JaJa Santiago.
The Chery Tiggo Crossovers took the victory in a grueling championship against the Creamline Cool Smashers, ending their two-year winning streak. Following them were the Petro Gazz Angels, who were awarded the bronze medal and mentored by former MGC New Life Volleyball coach Arnold Laniog.
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) held their first professional conference in the "Laoag Bubble" in Ilocos Norte since PVL 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19. The conference took place from July 17 to August 13, with the lengthy three-game championship held from August 11 to 13.
“Dami naming naging problema pero hindi kami sumuko hanggang nakaabot kami sa finals. Sobrang thankful ako sa Lord na nanalo kami,“ said Santiago moments after she sealed off the long-awaited win.
The first game concluded with scores 25-15, 25-21, 18-25, 19-25, 15-7 in favor of Creamline. The match baffled many as Creamline wavered, winning the first two sets but losing the third and fourth.
"Hindi pa naman tapos ang laban," said Santiago, promising a comeback for game two.
As pledged, Chery Tiggo triumphed over Creamline in their do-or-die game. Santiago took charge along with her sister, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, with quick attacks—annihilating Creamline’s defense. The match finished with scores 25-18, 17-25, 25-16, 25-21.
Due to Chery’s fiery comeback, the championship was forced into a third sudden-death game, ending with scores 23-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23,15-18.
Jasmine Nabor kicked off the first set with her service. The first point was scored by Risa Sato as her attack wasn’t received by the opponent. The Cool Smashers scored four straight points before the Crossovers earned one.
Creamline immediately gained a lead of five points at 1-6. The Crossovers eventually caught up, tying at 17 all. Despite the strategic attacks from Santiago, Manabat, Mylene Paat, and Maika Ortiz, Creamline’s defense helped maintain their lead.
As Creamline team captain Alyssa Valdez said before game one, “We worked more on our floor defense because Chery Tiggo really has a lot of attackers.” The set ended with scores 23-25 to Creamline.
Attempting to make this match a simple three-setter, the Cool Smashers continued to defend their territory, sustaining a steady lead in the second set. Although Creamline did not score any aces compared to the two of Chery Tiggo, they made fewer mistakes, giving them an advantage. With the Crossovers having difficulty catching up, the set ended with a score of 20-25.
The third set became the turning point for Chery Tiggo. Their coach, Aaron Velez, restored the starting line-up, returning Paat and Ortiz into the game. Paat scored back-to-back aces at the beginning of the set, fresh off the bench. Chery Tiggo gained a lead of four points at 7-3 as Santiago gave her all to her spikes.
The team was able to surpass Creamline throughout the set with the highest lead of eight points, tying everything together with a score of 25-21 to Chery Tiggo.
It looked like Chery wouldn’t be able to catch up as the fourth set progressed to 13-16 in favor of Creamline. At this point, the Cool Smashers could almost taste their victory, but the Crossovers weren’t finished yet. They caught up at 18-18. Manabat was able to score their match point, reviving her team and ending the set with a score of 25-23.
After their dramatic comeback, tensions were high as both teams continued to the final set. The vision of a Creamline victory slowly blurred as Chery Tiggo earned five straight points at 5-0. They maintained their upper hand until 13-7 to Chery Tiggo.
Tots Carlos, who had performed exceptionally throughout the finals, made an error in her attack when they needed her the most, leading the score to 14-7. With the determination to win, Crossovers captain Santiago towed her team towards the finish line as she delivered the winning point.
“Thank the Lord that He gave me the strength,” said Manabat when she was asked how she felt about winning this championship after her multiple injuries.
Manabat was in tears while explaining her joy since they had been working for the crown since 2016.
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