Chiara Permentilla made her homecoming count, powering the Nxled Chameleons to back-to-back wins in the PVL On Tour in Batangas.
Chiara Permentilla’s homecoming was nothing short of magical.
Fueled by the cheers of her hometown crowd, the Lipa City native shone brightest as she led Nxled to back-to-back statement victories during the PVL on Tour stop at the Batangas City Sports Center over the weekend.
“Siyempre, inspired and excited kasi nandito 'yung relatives ko, so talagang we want to showcase 'yung talent namin, kung anong puwedeng ipakita ng Nxled,” Permentilla told reporters. “Sobrang excited talaga kami maglaro today.”
Permentilla delivered in full, helping the Chameleons stun the reigning All-Filipino Conference champion Petro Gazz Angels in a thrilling five-setter, 25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 25-15, 15-10, where she finished with 10 points—four of them coming at the most critical stretch to close out the match.
The 27-year-old outside hitter didn’t stop there. A day later, she erupted for 19 points and matched that effort with 19 excellent receptions to lift Nxled past the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, 25-20, 26-28, 27-25, 25-22.
“Sobrang proud ako lalo na sa teammates ko kasi talagang lahat gumana… kahit anong set man siya pinasok, talagang nag-contribute lahat,” she said. “Everyone wanted to win today, everyone fought for every point.”
With the wins, Nxled now sits atop Pool A with a 2-0 record—already matching its win total from the previous All-Filipino Conference, where it took 14 games to notch the same number.
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But more than the victories, Permentilla is ecstatic about the PVL on Tour, saying it’s a chance to reconnect with hometown fans who don’t often get the chance to watch games live.
“It’s very important. Ang daming nata-touch na cities, iba’t ibang culture ni PVL,” she added. “This time kami naman ‘yung lumalapit sa fans, kami naman ‘yung nage-effort na makita nila kami in person."
"Sana lahat ng cities talaga sa Philippines mapuntahan natin, even ‘yung mga cities na hindi masyadong kilala.”
For now, Permentilla and the Chameleons will have a well-deserved two-week break as they get ready to face the Galeries Tower Highrisers on July 15 at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.
(With reports from Aivan Episcope)