Farm Fresh finally got a break from the five-set grind, and a semifinal ticket came with it. The Foxies beat Capital1, 25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23, at Philsports Arena on Saturday night to clinch a spot in the PVL Siklab Series semifinals.

Farm Fresh improved to 5-2 and moved into solo second place with one elimination-round game left. The Solar Spikers fell to 2-5 and were officially eliminated from the semifinal race.

Farm Fresh Eyes Top 2 Spot

The Foxies are not done yet. They face the Creamline Cool Smashers (4-2) on Nov. 21, hoping to land one of the top two spots and the twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals.

Choco Mucho and PLDT, both 4-3, also remain in contention and will meet in a virtual knockout match on Nov. 19. Farm Fresh survived both teams in five sets during its recent stretch.

Tubu Leads Gritty Fourth-Set Finish

Reigning league MVP Trisha Tubu scored 25 points and earned Best Player of the Game honors, one game after erupting for 30 against PLDT. She also fired five straight hits in the third set to turn a 2-6 deficit into an 8-7 lead.

Capital1 refused to go quietly, though, and stole the third set, 25-23. Bella Belen led the Solar Spikers with 22 points, Erika Santos added 16 and Vanie Gandler had eight.

Capital1 led 19-17 in the fourth after a rare Tubu error, but Farm Fresh responded. Tubu hammered down three straight points to make it 22-20, and Alohi Robins-Hardy sealed the win with a two-handed push into an open Zone 1.

Tubu said the Foxies were determined to avoid another fifth set after dropping the third. “We just kept fighting,” she said of the team’s fourth-set response.

Mylene Rezanova added 10 points and Riri Meneses nine for Farm Fresh. Maicah Larroza anchored the defense with 14 excellent digs, while Robins-Hardy finished with 16 excellent sets in the one-hour, 58-minute match.