Cignal vented its frustrations on the struggling Capital1, cruising to a dominant 25-12, 25-15, 25-17 victory to return to the win column in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Coming off back-to-back losses—including a hard-fought five-setter against defending champion Creamline—the HD Spikers bounced back in commanding fashion, dismantling the Solar Spikers to improve to a 6-3 record, tying PLDT for third place in the standings.
Ishie Lalongisip and Judith Abil continued to fill in the gaps for the depleted Cignal, scoring 13 points each to help their side snap a two-game skid after opening the year with a straight-set win over Galeries Tower.
(C) PVL Images
“Thank you, Lord, syempre sa panalo. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung kailangan namin, especially ngayon sa status namin. Syempre proud sa team, nama-maximize namin ‘yung mga tao namin, ‘yung mga strengths, especially dito sa katabi kong dalawa,” said Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos, referring to Lalongisip and Abil.
“Sobrang nagwo-work hard talaga sila sa training. But of course, syempre ‘yung mga leaders namin sa team—sila Dawn (Catindig), sila Vanie (Gandler), and kay Judith (Abil)—‘yun nga, sabi ko kailangan tumulong talaga siya sa attacks,” he added.
Roselyn Doria-Aquino also reached double figures with 11 points, including four blocks, while Jackie Acuña contributed nine markers and recorded 11 kill blocks. Vanie Gandler, Cignal’s leading scorer, finished with seven points, seven excellent digs, and four excellent receptions.
Gel Cayuna orchestrated the offense with 13 excellent sets while adding two points, while libero Dawn Catindig tallied eight excellent digs in the one-hour, 22-minute contest.
The HD Spikers dominated in all departments, holding a commanding 44-24 advantage in attacks, a 9-4 edge in blocks, and a 6-1 lead in service aces over Capital1.
Cignal aims to sustain its momentum when it faces ZUS Coffee on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, Capital1’s struggles continued, as the Solar Spikers dropped their fifth consecutive match, sinking to a 1-8 record.
No player from Capital1 managed to reach double digits in scoring. Trisha Genesis and Leila Cruz led the team with six points each, while Shola Alvarez chipped in five.
The Solar Spikers will try to snap their losing streak against Petro Gazz on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., also at Philsports.
