STA. LUCIA fended off a stirring Chery Tiggo uprising from two sets down to carve out a 25-20, 25-12, 24-26, 21-25, 15-10 victory for its first winning streak of the PVL Open Conference yesterday at the PCV Socio-Civic & Cultural Center in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.

MJ Phillips was solid on the defensive end down the stretch as the Lady Realtors have won two in a row – and their third overall in five matches to boost their top four bid.

The Crossovers, for their part, lost for the second time in three games to drop to 3-2 in the bubble.

Coach Eddieson Orcullo was not worried at all despite Sta. Lucia squandering a 2-0 set lead.

“I don’t think bumababa (laro), pinush lang ng Chery Tiggo na makuha ang set na iyon,” said Orcullo.

“Kailangan lang maintindihan ng mga bata to keep on fighting, keep on believing and enjoying the game,” he added.

Philips led the Lady Realtors with 23 points, including five blocks, Jovie Prado added 19 points, 14 digs and 13 receptions while Jonah Sabete had three blocks to finish with 18 points to go with 12 receptions.

Ahead by two sets when a power outage at the venue stalled the match for more than 20 minutes, Sta. Lucia had the straight set romp within reach when it led 19-14. The Lady Realtors were at match point, 24-23, when the Crossovers found a way to avert a shutout to gain a lifeline.

In the deciding set, Sabete, along with a couple of attack errors from Dindin Santiago-Manabat, pushed Sta, Lucia to a 8-5 lead.

The Lady Realtors were holding a 11-7 advantage when the Crossovers trimmed the deficit to 10-12, following a double contact violation on Phillips and a Dindin Santiago-Manabat kill.

But Chery Tiggo fell short to complete the come-from-behind win.

Dindin Santiago-Manabat played her best game for the Crossovers this season with 20 points while her 6-foot-5 sister Jaja added 14 points, including three blocks.

Chery Tiggo now faces a tall order ahead to remain in the top four with a tough stretch starting with a much-anticipated duel with Creamline tomorrow, followed by PetroGazz, Black Mamba-Army and Choco Mucho.