LIPA City – PetroGazz outlasted Chery Tiggo, 22-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 15-11, to post its second straight win in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League on Sunday at the Aquamarine Recreational Center.
With Myla Pablo leading the charge, the Angels led, 13-9, and doused all hopes of a late fightback by the Crossovers to remain unscathed in the tournament.
Every set and point matters in the tournament. The team with the best record will emerge as the first-ever Champions League queens.
Although PetroGazz holds the same 2-0 win-loss record as F2 Logistics, the one-time Premier Volleyball League champion still sits in second place.
In the first tiebreaker, the Cargo Movers have a maximum of six points while the Angels have five. The team that wins in three or four sets will have three points while a five-set victory will only gain two points.
The Crossovers, who dropped to 1-1, are now in third place with four points as the reigning PVL Open Conference titlists collected a point by virtue of the five-set loss.
Tuguegarao Perlas, which bested California Precision Sports on opening day, also sports a 1-1 card but only has three points in the first tiebreaker to stay in fourth place.
PetroGazz will face F2 Logistics at 4:00 p.m. on Monday (Nov. 22) in a match-up that could determine the fate of both clubs in winning the championship of the tournament.
Despite being dragged to a five-setter, coach Arnold Laniog said that beating the Crossovers will still serve as a confidence-builder heading into their showdown with the Cargo Movers.
“Actually we still have three games left so one game at a time,” Laniog said. “We will really prepare hard against F2. We will work hard to get the ‘W.’”
“This W (against Chery Tiggo) will definitely boost our morale going to our game against F2,” he added.
PetroGazz neutralized Chery Tiggo’s main offensive weapon, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, in the crucial moments.
“At the end of the fourth set and in the fifth set, at least we were able to control her,” Laniog said. (PNVF)
