Chery Tiggo stayed firmly in control of its PVL Invitational destiny with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-23 victory over ZUS Coffee on Tuesday, August 26, night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

With the sweep, the Crossovers improved to 3-1 and set up a do-or-die duel against Japan’s Kobe Shinwa University (2-1) on Thursday for the last Finals slot.

Cess Robles powered the offense with 17 points, while Ara Galang added nine and Renee Peñafiel chipped in eight in a balanced attack. But it was libero Jen Nierva who stood tallest on defense, tallying 11 excellent digs and 19 receptions to earn Best Player of the Game honors.

Still, Nierva was far from satisfied.
“Hindi pa rin enough ang effort. Hangga’t hindi namin naaabot ang goal, hindi pa tapos ang trabaho namin,” she said, underscoring the team’s hunger to return to the Finals.

The win came on the heels of Chery Tiggo’s grueling five-set escape over Creamline, showing their growing resilience down the stretch.

ZUS Coffee bows out

ZUS Coffee, a late addition to the tournament after Kurashiki Ablaze and Farm Fresh pulled out, bowed out winless at 0-3 despite gritty efforts. Kate Santiago led the Thunderbelles with 11 points, while Caroline Santos and Wielyn Estoque scored nine apiece.

They nearly forced a fourth set, tying the score at 23-all after a Santiago back-row kill, but costly errors doomed their upset bid.

Do-or-die vs Kobe Shinwa

Chery Tiggo now turns its focus to Kobe Shinwa, which earlier shocked Creamline with a four-set stunner to keep its own Finals hopes alive.

The Japanese squad, known for its fast-paced offense and relentless defense, will be aiming to crash the Finals in its PVL debut. Kokoro Yasuma, Nagisa Komatsuda, and Arisu Ishikawa have led the way for the youthful visitors, who average just 22 years old but have played with the composure of seasoned contenders.

A win for Chery Tiggo would set up a rematch with unbeaten PLDT High Speed Hitters, who have already secured the first Finals berth at 4-0. For Kobe Shinwa, victory would cap an inspired run and put them in position to challenge for a historic title.

Either way, Thursday’s showdown promises to be one of the most gripping matches of the conference.