Defending champion Cignal arranged a Finals trilogy with rival Criss Cross following its second-straight win in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference round-robin semifinals on Wednesday night.
The HD Spikers proved to be too much for the Savouge Spin Doctors, taking a straight-set, 25-19, 25-20, 25-18 victory for an eighth consecutive finals appearance at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
Cignal secured its Finals spot after dominating its semifinal matches, improving to 2-0 alongside Criss Cross to set up their third championship showdown in as many conferences in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
With the HD Spikers and the King Crunchers assured of at least a 2-1 record, Savouge and VNS-Laticrete — both at 0-2 — have been officially eliminated from contention in the Open Conference supported by ArenaPlus and Mikasa.
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“Maganda ‘yung naging performance talaga nila. Nagpapasalamat ako na ‘yung game plan namin, ‘yung napagensayuhan namin for the past days, nagbunga naman,” said Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor.
“Hindi basta-basta kasi ‘yung Savouge eh. Round one and round two during the elimination round, naka-fifth set sila with Criss Cross. Fifth set din sila sa’min sa second round so hindi sila basta basta kalaban,” he added.
Steven Rotter spearheaded the HD Spikers with 13 points on 10 attacks and three blocks, while team captain JP Bugaoan and Wendel Miguel chipped in nine and eight points, respectively, in the victory.
Owa Retamar dished out 21 excellent sets to go along with five excellent digs for the three-peat-seeking Cignal in the one-hour, 20-minute triumph.
The much-anticipated Finals rematch between Cignal and Criss Cross gets an early preview at the same venue on Sunday night at 6:00 PM, the final day of the semifinals — a no-bearing match but a battle for a perfect semis campaign and bragging rights ahead of their title showdown.
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On the other hand, Mark Calado was the lone bright spot for the Spin Doctors with 11 points and 10 excellent receptions.
Giles Torres tallied eight markers off five attacks and three kill blocks, while Shawie Caritativo registered seven points, along with six excellent digs and 11 excellent receptions.
The loss relegated Savouge to the battle for bronze.
The Spin Doctors collide with the Griffins in a prelude to the third-place series, also on Sunday at 3:30 PM.
