Nxled remains the lone unbeaten team in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series, while Capital1 is running out of room to chase a semifinal spot. The Chameleons swept the Solar Spikers, 25-12, 25-20, 25-18, at Philsports Arena in Pasig on Saturday, November 7.

Nxled improved to 5-0 and is one win from clinching a Final Four berth. The Chameleons overwhelmed Capital1 in one hour and 21 minutes, dropping the Solar Spikers to 2-4 and leaving their semifinal bid on life support.

Nxled Overwhelms Capital1 in PVL

Nxled out-attacked Capital1, 46-36, and walled off the net with 10 blocks to none for the Solar Spikers. The Chameleons also had four aces to one and collected 15 free points while giving up 14.

Setter Gel Cayuna ran the show with 16 excellent sets and three points, including her trademark 1-2 play for a 19-11 first-set lead. She was named Best Player of the Game.

“We just focused on our strengths and reminded each other not to be overconfident,” Cayuna said in Filipino. “Any team right now is really strong, so we always have to go all-out.”

Brooke Van Sickle top-scored with 13 points, while MJ Phillips added nine. Jackie Acuña and Jonah Escamillan had seven each, and Myla Pablo, EJ Cariño and Ranya Musa chipped in four apiece.

Capital1 kept the third set close, but Escamillan’s back-to-back hits made it 20-15. A Cayuna ace stretched the gap to 23-15, and Pablo blocked Bella Belen’s attack to seal the win after Erika Santos saved a match point.

Capital1 Faces Do-or-Die PVL Run

Capital1 suffered its third straight defeat despite having three fancied hitters. Santos led the Solar Spikers with 12 points and Vanie Gandler had seven, but Belen, the Series’ top scorer at a 20-point average, managed only five.

The Solar Spikers face the Farm Fresh Foxies on Nov. 14 and the Galeries Tower Highrisers on Nov. 19. They must win both and hope Choco Mucho, Farm Fresh, Akari and PLDT each finish with no more than four wins.

Nxled meets sister team Akari Chargers on Thursday and Creamline Cool Smashers (4-1) on Nov. 17, then closes the elimination round against winless ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles on Nov. 21. Nxled and Creamline remain tipped to take the first two semifinal berths.

“Our mindset is that we still shouldn’t be complacent. We’re still not perfect, we still have a lot of lapses, and those are what we need to polish so we can execute our game plan much better,” Cayuna added.