MANILA — The Nxled Chameleons dug deep to escape with a gritty five-set win over the Farm Fresh Foxies, while Capital1 Solar Spikers made a confident debut as the PVL All-Filipino Conference opened Tuesday night at the Playtime FilOil Centre.
Nxled rallied from a two-set hole to outlast Farm Fresh, 25-23, 13-25, 21-25, 25-15, 15-12, behind a composed late surge that set the tone for its season opener.
Veteran hitter Myla Pablo anchored the comeback and earned Player of the Game honors after pouring in 19 points on a sharp 45-percent attack efficiency. Brooke Van Sickle led all scorers for Nxled with 20 points, while MarJana Phillips chipped in 13. Lyann de Guzman provided a timely spark in the fourth set as the Chameleons seized control.
After conceding the second and third frames, Nxled flipped the script in the fourth with balanced offense and steadier defense, cruising to a 25-15 win to force a decider. The fifth set turned into a tense exchange of leads before Nxled pulled away with a decisive 6-2 run, fueled by Van Sickle and Pablo, to secure the victory.
Farm Fresh leaned heavily on Trisha Tubu, who delivered a game-high 26 points in a losing effort.
In the night’s other match, Capital1 announced its arrival with a solid 25-17, 25-16, 15-25, 25-19 triumph over the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles.
Mhicaela Belen powered the Solar Spikers with 26 points on 24 attacks and two aces as Capital1 controlled three of four sets. The Solar Spikers dictated the pace early, holding ZUS Coffee to just 17 and 16 points in the opening frames through disciplined net defense and efficient transitions.
ZUS Coffee mounted a response in the third set, capitalizing on Capital1 miscues to extend the match, but the Solar Spikers regrouped and pulled away late in the fourth to seal their season-opening win./PN
