MANILA, Philippines – The Foton Tornadoes march into the 2020 Philippine Superliga season as the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in their bid for a first championship in 4 years. 

The Crossovers strengthened their lineup by acquiring big names over the season break to beef up their offense. 

Former Cignal HD Spiker Mylene Paat headline the new recruits after playing a key role in the Philippine women’s volleyball team, which last saw action in the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. 

Joining Paat are setter Jasmine Nabor, middle blockers Joy Dacoron and Rachelle Austero, and spiker Janine Navarro as the latest standouts to reinforce the Aaron Velez-mentored squad. 

The new recruits will be vital as the squad continues to miss the services of towering sisters Jaja Santiago and Dindin Santiago-Manabat, who are slated to return from their Japan stints by mid-May. 

“We want to really add up our high offfense and we can showcase our defenseive prowess,” said head coach Velez. 

The Crossovers will also enter the 2020 PSL Grand Prix without collegiate stars Eya and EJ Laure of University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University’s Ria Duremdes, and University of the Philippines’ Justine Dorog as the club gave them the go-signal to focus on their respective UAAP Season 82 campaigns. 

Amid the changes, the Chery Tiggo crew remains confident that it will acquire its target import and develop team chemistry in time for the Grand Prix tournament set to run from February to June. 

“Our bench is deeper now, chemistry and jelling [are] always a work in progress. Rest assured that the team is fiercer, stronger and more competitive than last year,” added Velez. – Rappler.com