Chameleons streak to No. 3 with conquest of Highrisers
Nxled sent a third straight foe stumbling by the wayside on Tuesday as the Chameleons crept closer to an outright quarterfinal slot in the PVL On Tour, which speaks highly of the program that has a new man in charge in Ettore Guidetti.
The Chameleons pulled out a highwire 26-24, 25-23, 25-23 victory over Galeries Tower at Filoil EcoOil Centre, showcasing a lot of poise and maturity after the Highrisers rook them to the proverbial limit each set as Nxled rose to 3-0 counting wins over Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho.
But Guidetti was the first to say that his charges still have a lot to improve on.
“First of all, it’s a false (straight sets win) because it was 26-24, 25-23, 25-23. It was a very tough battle,” said Guidetti. “Honestly, we started winning only when we began playing as a team midway through the first set.
“We were down 13-4, but then we started playing with patience, improving our system and passing,” he went on. “My open spikers and opposite did a very good job—that’s what made the difference.”
With a large deficit early in the opening frame, Nxled leaned on its composure to mount a rousing comeback and seize momentum.
Streak to 4?
They fended off a late Galeries charge in the second set, then held their nerve in another tight finish in the third, where they saw a 21-18 lead vanish before regrouping behind clutch hits from EJ Cariño and skipper Chiara Permentilla.
With the score tied at 21, Cariño and Permentilla delivered back-to-back hits to reclaim the lead, 23-21. Galeries countered with connections from Jewel Encarnacion and Winnie Bedaña, but Cariño fired a shot through the block for match point before Jov Fernandez finished the job with a booming attack that deflected off the defense.
Cariño, 27, led all scorers with 16 points—14 on attacks—and had nine excellent receptions. Fernandez, named Player of the Game, added 14 markers, while Permentilla contributed an all-around effort of 13 points, six excellent digs, and nine excellent receptions.
Jaja Maraguinot quarterbacked the offense with 15 excellent sets and added seven digs as Nxled rode the momentum of its twin wins in Batangas over the Angels and Flying Titans.
The Chameleons aim to stretch their streak to four when they face Farm Fresh in Cebu on July 27.
Meanwhile, Galeries dropped to 0-3. Encarnacion topscored with 15 points, five digs, and seven receptions, while second overall pick Jean Asis chipped in 11 points built on eight attacks, two blocks, and an ace.
