Jasmine Nabor just clawed her way back to a PVL title series and took along a group of gritty teammates that have never been there before, proving that belief in one’s self does wonders.
The talented setter came off the bench to ignite Chery Tiggo to a 25-17, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23 semifinal victory over Cignal in the PVL On Tour Tuesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum, as this batch of Crossovers can do something what the franchise last achieved in 2021 when the league played in a bubble.
“It just feels so good, like we’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Nabor told the Inquirer in Filipino after dishing out 21 excellent sets on top of five points. “ And we worked hard for it. We gave it our all just to get here.”
With Mylene Paat and Shaya Adorador recovering out of commission because of injuries, Nabor is the only active remnant of that title-winning team.
And she admitted to getting goosebumps late in the game, even with the HD Spikers coming close in the fourth set.
“I was getting goosebumps. I kept thinking, ‘We can really make it to the finals this time,’” she said. “I’m thankful I was subbed in again, and things turned around for us. Same thing happened in other games, we thought we were done, but we fought until the end.”
The Crossovers will battle the winner of the Creamline-PLDT duel that’s going on at press time and Nabor believes that they can take any team in the title game.
Nabor had a dominant Jaja Santiago and Dindin Santiago-Manabat back in 2021, when they came from a game down in the best-of-three series against Creamline and capture the league’s first-ever pro trophy under a bubble environment.
But what makes this Chery Tiggo team special is its mix of veterans and rookies playing on the same page and having the same goal.
“I can really say our team is super genuine,” she said. “You can feel that we’re all united. Everyone is equal, like coach Norman (Miguel) says, ‘there are no superstars here.’
“Whether you’re a rookie or a senior, anyone can speak up, and we’re all open to it,” Nabor went on. “Even if we’re always tired from training, we still try to bond and build our connection. That’s something we really focus on.”
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Ara Galang, who got emotional when she drilled the winning point to cap off a team-high 15 points, got scoring support from Cess Robles, who also scored 15 and tallied 11 digs and 11 excellent receptions.
Imee Hernandez had 12 points, highlighted by four blocks, while third-round pick Ren Peñafiel added 10 points.