Hard-pressed for a win to stay in contention, the Chery Tiggo Crossovers delivered when it mattered most – outlasting the Capital1 Solar Spikers in a grueling five-set battle, 27-25, 23-25, 25-12, 22-25, 15-13, in the PVL Reinforced Conference on Tuesday night at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The match turned into a true test of power and nerves, stretching two hours and 25 minutes as momentum swung from one side to the other in the blink of an eye. The EV Crossovers relied on their championship pedigree, refusing to back down even when the Solar Spikers appeared poised to close the door in the fifth set.

At the heart of the Crossovers’ fight was Yuni Batista, who played like a woman on a mission. Not initially counted among the top-ranked reinforcements after the first of the two-round prelims, Batista unleashed a tournament-best 41 points, none bigger than the decisive final hit – a shot that bounced off a defender into the hands of Capital1 coach Jorge De Brito, sealing the thriller of a win.

The fifth set alone epitomized the drama: with Chery Tiggo ahead, 14-11, Capital1 mounted a furious rally to 13-14, capitalizing on a rare Batista mishit. But the Crossovers’ resilience shone through. After her first attempt was dug by the Solar Spikers, Batista calmly reset, as Jen Nierva dug a Capital1 attack and delivered a pass to Alina Bicar, who set up Batista for the clinching point. She didn’t hesitate – she delivered.

“I didn’t think too much, I just took it point by point,” said Batista when asked about her mindset during the final stretch.

Batista’s heroics didn’t just clinch the win – they also rewrote the record books. With a 43-percent attack efficiency, she set a new tournament scoring mark, surpassing Sasha Bytsenko’s previous 38-point output. Capital1’s own import scored 34 points, but ultimately had to take a backseat to Batista’s explosive performance.

The victory halted Chery Tiggo’s slump and reignited its drive for a quarterfinal berth, improving its record to 2-4, good for a share of ninth place alongside the Choco Mucho Flying Titans. While still outside the top tier, the Crossovers’ win brought them closer to the joint fifth-running Akari Chargers, Petro Gazz Angels and Solar Spikers – each toting 3-3 marks, setting up an intense race as the tournament enters the final stretch of the two-round preliminaries.

While the victory did not dramatically alter their standing, it breathed life into Chery Tiggo’s campaign, keeping the EV Crossovers’ quarterfinal hopes flickering.

“This win is so important to us. We continue to have to go to the quarterfinals,” said Batista.

After finishing in the bottom three in the first phase, the Crossovers knew they had little room for error in the second round – and their performance against Capital1 reflected that urgency. Led by a balanced offensive and a more disciplined floor defense, Chery Tiggo showed composure in key stretches, particularly in the tight opening and closing sets.

The Crossovers seized control early in the first frame with clutch hitting and timely defensive stops to eke out a 26-24 win, before dropping the second set in a close 23-25 decision. But they regrouped masterfully in the third, dominating 25-12 behind a renewed sense of purpose and aggressive serving that kept the Solar Spikers off balance.

But Capital1 regrouped in the fourth set, mounting a late surge that forced the match into a decider – the fifth match to go the distance in this year-ending PVL Reinforced Conference, organized by Sports Vision and supported by ICTSI, Milcu, Mikasa and Fabriano.

Backing Batista’s dominant performance, Ara Galang contributed 11 points, while Shaya Adorador added seven. Mylene Paat, Renee Peñafiel, and Cza Carandang chipped in six points apiece, helping the EV Crossovers match the Solar Spikers’ 72 attacks – a testament to how evenly contested the match was.

Capital1 edged the Crossovers in blocks, 11-9, but Chery Tiggo capitalized on its rival’s errors, converting 30 free points while giving up only 15 from their own mistakes.

Despite the Crossovers’ advantage in points off errors, the Solar Spikers kept the contest close until the very end. Rookie Bella Belen shone with a career-high 22 points, and Chel Austero added 11 markers, proving that Capital1 remained a formidable opponent even in defeat.