MANILA — ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles halted Chery Tiggo Crossovers’ march to the PVL on Tour quarterfinals with a 19-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19, 15-6 victory on Tuesday at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.
Cloanne Mondonedo shone with 36 excellent sets along with two points to earn Player of the Game honors for the Thunderbelles, who notched their third win in five matches.
“I think ang dami pang kailangang i-prove ng team, so kulang pa ‘yung today,” said Mondonedo. “Wala namang team na gustong mag-fifth set, but kami ayaw naming umuwi ng sad kaya lumaban talaga ‘yung team hanggang dulo.”
After a 25-19 win in the fourth set, the Thunderbelles started strong in the decider, opening with a 9-3 lead off attacks from rookie Alexis Miner and Chinnie Pia Arroyo.
The Crossovers tried to close the gap at 5-10, but the Thunderbelles responded through Maika Ortiz and Guimarasnon Jovelyn Gonzaga to complete the upset win.
Miner led the Thunderbelles’ offense with 19 points, Kate Santiago added 13, while Arroyo and Ilongga Glaudine Trongcoso chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
As a result of the game, the Thunderbelles, Crossovers, and Creamline Cool Smashers ended in a three-way tie with identical 3-2 records. However, the Cool Smashers secured the outright quarterfinals seat due to superior set points.
Renee Penafiel starred for the Crossovers with 19 points, Ilongga Princess Robles and Imee Hernandez contributed 18 and 14, respectively, while Victonara Galang and Baby Jyne Soreno had 11 points each.
Meanwhile, Petro Gazz Angels closed out their preliminaries campaign with a 20-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-17 victory over Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
Veteran Myla Pablo spearheaded the offense with 23 points and 16 excellent receptions, while Nicole Tiamzon followed with 16 points and 12 digs to earn Best Player of the Game honors./PN
