PVL: Yunieska Batista erupts for 41 points as Chery Tiggo outlasts streaking Capital1

Yunieska Batista sizzled for 41 points to steer Chery Tiggo to a crucial 27-25, 23-25, 25-12, 22-25, 15-13 win against Capital1 in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. 

The Cuban import poured in eight of those points in the deciding fifth set to finish with the highest single-game output of the conference so far. 

Her stellar performance also helped the Crossovers bolster their quarterfinals chances as they improved to 2-4 while the Solar Spikers, who were coming off back-to-back huge wins against Cignal and Choco Mucho, fell to 3-3. 

Batista starred in Chery Tiggo's dominant third set showing, opening the frame with a wild 13-1 start before her kill made it a 20-6 cushion en route to a lopsided 25-12 win. 

But Capital1 restored order in the fourth with rookie Bella Belen and middle blocker Rachel Austero sparking their rally as they connived to clinch the set point at 24-21. Import Oleksandra Bytsenko then soared from the back to finish it off and drag Chery Tiggo to a deciding set. 

Bytsenko scored Capital1's first three points in the fifth frame for a 3-1 start, but Chery Tiggo slowly crawled back in as the lefty Mylene Paat scored from the opposite side off a right-handed push to tie things up at 6-all. 

Capital1 would secure an 8-6 lead, but Batista came alive and converted four points as part of a telling 6-0 barrage that saw the Crossovers erect a crucial 12-8 advantage. 

Capital1 mounted a fightback behind Bytsenko, whose three straight points pulled the Solar Spikers within two, 11-13. Batista, though, was unstoppable from the left wing as she delivered the match point, 14-11. 

Capital1 saved two match points off a Bytsenko drop and an attack error from Batista, but the latter atoned for it by going for the finishing hammer. 

Ara Galang led the local support with 11 points anchored on eight attacks and three blocks while Paat, Renee Peñafiel, and Cza Carandang all chipped in six markers each. 

The loss spoiled a huge outing from the tandem of Bytsenko and Belen as the Ukrainian import dazzled with 34 points and nine receptions while the former UAAP MVP churned out 22 markers and nine digs.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News