MANILA, Philippines -- Needing a victory to keep its Finals hopes alive, Nxled delivered exactly that – and then had to wait.
The Chameleons overcame a third-set stumble to put away an also-ran but fiercely fighting Farm Fresh side, 25-20, 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, closing out their elimination-round campaign in the PVL Invitational. But despite the four-set victory in one hour and 59 minutes, Nxled’s work was far from over.
The Chameleons finished with a 3-2 slate and kept their championship bid firmly in play, only for their fate to be placed in the hands of the final two elimination matches later in the day: EST Cola against Ho Chi Minh and Creamline against PLDT. If EST Cola and Creamline both prevail, the equation will be simple – and highly anticipated: Nxled and PLDT will be eliminated, while the Thais and the Cool Smashers will set up a rematch in Tuesday’s one-game championship. Anything less, however, could turn the race into a mathematical free-for-all. Reversals in both matches could produce a four-way tie, with as many as four teams finishing the eliminations at 3-2. That would send the tournament into the FIVB tie-breaking rules, with set and point ratios potentially becoming as important as wins and losses in determining which teams advance to the one-game championship showdown. In other words, Nxled did its part. Now it has to watch. And perhaps do a little scoreboard watching, too. “I’m just proud of everyone’s mentality. It’s a dogfight in this tournament. The immediate bounce back from each game, playing back-to-back, so I’m really proud of our team for having that mentality to keep going even though we’re exhausted,” said middle blocker MJ Phillips, who earned Player of the Game honors after pouring in 25 points on two blocks and four aces. Phillips’ performance underscored Nxled’s biggest advantage in the four-set victory over Farm Fresh: its relentless attack through the middle. TMT
