Cignal saw its campaign in the 2025 AVC Men’s Champions League come to an early end, finishing winless in Pool B on Tuesday afternoon.
The HD Spikers, who put up a gallant stand against Japan’s Osaka Bluteon the day before, suffered a second consecutive straight-sets defeat—this time at the hands of China’s Shanghai Bright, 12-25, 13-25, 18-25, at the Panasonic Arena in Hirakata, Japan.
Made up of Alas Pilipinas players gearing up for the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship, Cignal wrapped up pool play with an 0-2 record, finishing dead-last in the group, while home team Osaka (2-0) and Shanghai (1-1) clinched the two quarterfinals tickets in Pool B.
(C) AVC
Much like in their opening match, the HD Spikers got off to a sluggish start—quickly falling into a 10-point hole at 16-6 in the first set and never recovering, overwhelmed by the relentless offensive onslaught of Shanghai Bright spearheaded by Chengcheng Xiu and Bohan Wang.
The Filipino club, however, showed signs of life in the second set, trimming a seven-point deficit late in the frame. Behind the efforts of Marck Espejo, Owa Retamar, Steven Rotter, and Louie Ramirez, Cignal strung together a 5-2 run that cut the gap from 20-13 to 22-18.
However, Cignal’s late errors in the second set spelled the difference as Shanghai Bright completed their second-set triumph en route to a 2-0 lead.
(C) AVC
The HD Spikers failed to generate any meaningful momentum from there, succumbing to another lopsided loss in the third set to exit the tournament.
Xiu took charge for the Shanghai Bright with 16 points on 12 attacks, three kill blocks, and one ace, while Michal Kubiak and Wang registered 10 markers apiece as the Chinese club split their pool assignments.
On the other hand, Rotter and Ramirez paced the HD Spikers with 11 points each. Espejo added seven points and seven excellent receptions in the loss, while Lloyd Josafat had nine markers.
