Watching their two-set lead dissipate, the Cignal HD Spikers re-wired their connection late in the match to escape Champion Supra, 25-18, 37-35, 23-25, 17-25, 15-12 in the Spikers’ Turf Reinforced Conference at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
“‘Yung team na naglaro sa first two sets, ‘yun talaga ang pagkakakilala ko sa team ko,” said Cignal head coach Michael Cariño. “Nag-breakdown na kami sa sumunod na dalwang set.”
The HD Spikers matched the fiery Champion side in the first two sets, grabbing an early lead in the opening frame and never looking back. The second set was close throughout, with the HD Spikers surviving a grueling deuce through timely lineup changes and blocks.
The next two sets, however, went completely downhill for the HD Spikers, with Champion controlling the later portion of the third set before decisively dislodging their foes in the fourth frame.
Cignal then dazzled in the final set, taking a 13-7 lead thanks to Champion’s errors and Saku Capate’s scoring. Champion tried a last ditch run, rattling off four straight points thanks to a pair of Cignal attack errors. But the HD Spikers took advantage of sideouts in the next two points, getting kills from Herschel Ramos and Capate to end the match.
“Psychological na ‘yun [inability to close out games]. Isa ‘yan siguro sa mga madedevelop ng team ko habang tumatagal ang season kasi hindi na talaga problema ang skills sa mga ‘to. Chemistry na lang at sa mentality ang kailangan namin maayos,” Cariño added.
The former San Beda Red Spiker, Capate, tallied 27 points. Peter Torres gunned 16, Ramos added 14, and Edmar Bonono notched 11 for the HD Spikers.
Joven Camaganakan sparked the Champion side with a game-high 28 markers. His fellow open spiker Arjay Onia managed 22, while Berlin Paglinawan contributed 18.
Champion Supra (0-2) face fellow winless squad 100 Plus (0-3) on Monday, while Cignal (1-1) take on Army (1-0) on October 24. Both matches will start at 12:30 pm at the PhilSports Arena.
The Scores
Cignal (3) – Capate 27, Torres 16, Ramos 14, Bonono 11, Woo 7, Faytaren 4, Ybanez 3, Mangulabnan 2, Diezmo 0, Dela Cruz (L), Montero (L)
Champion (2) – Camaganakan 28, Onia 22, Paglinawan 18, Honrade 5, Del Pilar 4, Relata 4, Dumago 3, Frey 1, Jose 1, Mandani 1, Mangaring (L), Movido (L)
