The Chery Tiggo Crossovers lived another day to fight after pulling off a nail-biting win against the Cool Smashers to force a winner-take-all match of the PVL Open Conference Finals.

Jaja Santiago, who delivered an unstoppable performance, took matters into her own hands with a game-high 25 points off 20 attacks, 3 blocks, and 2 aces, while her sister Dindin Santiago-Manabat chipped in 18 markers off 15 spikes.

“Thank you, Lord. We were guided, God is with us, the players were able to play as a team, work as a team, they gave encouraging words and we were able to boost each other’s morale,” Chery Tiggo head coach Aaron Velez said after the game.

After a roller-coaster game that turned out a 2-1 lead in favor of the Crossovers, both teams tightened up their offenses midway into the fourth frame, 16-all, but Santiago rallied her teammates and bolstered a 4-1 spurt to give the Crossovers a 20-17 advantage.

Looking to extend the game to a decider, now seldom-used Michele Gumabao hammered a down-the-line spike to bring the Cool Smashers within two, 22-20. 

Alyssa Valdez tried to replicate her heroic acts but only delivered one final point before Santiago-Manabat speared a 3-1 rally to seal the match and send the series to a deciding Game Three.

Although struggling in the earlier sets, Adorador shined in the crucial sets and tallied 9 points and 12 receptions while Jasmine Nabor delivered 22 excellent sets.

Buding Duremdes were very much instrumental as she aced what the team lacked in Game 1 with 16 excellent digs and 16 excellent receptions. 

On the other side of the court, Valdez top-scored Creamline with 18 points and 13 digs, while Jema Galanza who chipped in 17 points and 17 excellent receptions, 

Tots Carlos, who starred in Game 1, finished with 15 markers while Jia Morado dished out 42 excellent sets and had 13 digs. 

The Chery Tiggo-Creamline Game Three will take place tomorrow, Friday at 3:00 PM.