Chery Tiggo's Ara Galang and Shaya Adorador embrace the tough lessons they learned from 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino play-in tournament as the Crossovers head to the quarterfinals.
The Chery Tiggo Crossovers are advancing to the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals, but not without a challenging road to get there.
Battling their way through the league’s first-ever play-in tournament, the Crossovers secured their spot as the No. 8 seed after a hard-fought four-set victory over the Farm Fresh Foxies, 29-27, 15-25, 25-22, 25-21, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig on Tuesday, March 11.
Ara Galang powered Chery Tiggo’s offense with 20 points, tallying 16 attacks, three blocks, and a service ace. Shaya Adorador delivered an all-around performance, notching a triple-double of 18 points, 13 excellent digs, and 11 excellent receptions.
The victory came just days after the Crossovers swept the Nxled Chameleons, gaining momentum ahead of their crucial match against the Foxies.
Now, Chery Tiggo will head into the quarterfinals against the defending champions Creamline Cool Smashers.
Despite the tall task ahead of them, Galang and Adorador emphasized that their biggest takeaway from the play-in was the resilience and growth they experienced as a team.
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For Galang, the additional games leading up to the quarterfinals were more than just about securing their fourth-straight playoff appearance.
“Kailangan pa namin pag-aralan paano kami magwo-work as a team. So, itong past two games na dumagdag sa amin bago kami makaabot ng quarters, mahalaga dahil isa dun, mate-test ‘yung character ng team,” Galang said during the post-game press conference.
“Pangalawa, mahahasa pa ‘yung teamwork namin at ‘yung individual skills namin. Kasi pag nag-work ka individually, mabubuo ‘yung team,” she added.
Meanwhile, Adorador highlighted the high-pressure moments they faced against both Nxled and Farm Fresh, stating that these challenges helped the team develop their composure in crucial situations.
“Sobrang importante po na naranasan namin ‘tong dikdikan talaga. Nakita namin sa Nxled at Farm Fresh na gusto rin talaga nilang manalo,” Adorador said.
“Dito rin namin nakita na ‘yung team namin, talagang hindi kami nagpatalo sa mga dikdikan na score-an at balikan ng bola kasi ‘yun yung pinaka-importante. Nakita namin ‘yung team namin na tine-test talaga kami sa ganong situations.”
The best-of-three quarterfinal series between Chery Tiggo and Creamline will begin on March 18.