Cignal secured its spot in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference semifinals with a composed performance against Savouge Aesthetics, winning in three tight sets, 34-32, 25-22, 25-22, on Friday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The Super Spikers bounced back from a stunning 23-25, 25-22, 26-28, 20-25 loss to UST-Gameville in the elimination round, finishing with a 5-2 record to claim solo second place in the league organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, and Arena Plus.
“The score was close, ang kaibahan lang niyan ay the soft skills. ‘Yung patience, ‘yung intensity, aggressiveness, ‘yung mga bagay na hindi nakikita sa court. ‘Yung mental toughness, maybe ‘yun ‘yung naging advantage namin this game. ‘Yung sobrang gutom manalo dahil masakit ang pagkatalo namin sa UST,” said Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Every time the Spin Doctors managed to tie the score, the Super Spikers always found a way to pull ahead.
In the second set, tied at 22, Giles Torres committed an error before Wendel Miguel scored in two straight possessions to give Cignal a 25-22 frame victory.
A similar scenario unfolded in the third set. Louie Ramirez opened the finishing sequence with a through-the-block kill, and Lloyd Josafat denied Shawie Caritativo twice to seal the win after one hour and 42 minutes.
The challenge for the defending champions now is to maintain their form despite Alas Pilipinas members Ramirez, Josafat, Owa Retamar, and Vince Lorenzo leaving for the national team’s training for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Ramirez led Cignal with 14 points and 12 excellent receptions, while Josafat contributed 10 points, including four blocks. Wendel Miguel and Jau Umandal added nine points apiece, and Jay Rack Dela Noche chipped in seven.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Savouge Aesthetics finished the elimination round with a 4-3 record. Their semifinal fate now depends on the results of UST-Gameville versus FEU-DN Steel and Criss Cross versus Alpha Insurance on Sunday.
Spin Doctors head coach Sydney Calderon struggled to find the right combination on the court, rotating her players throughout the match.
Reymark Betco and Giles Torres topped Savouge’s scoring with nine points each, while Mark Calado and Madz Gampong added eight apiece.
All games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, and are also available on the Pilipinas Live app with video-on-demand options. Streaming is also accessible via spikersturf.ph.
