Second-ranked Cignal exacted sweet revenge on third-seeded Creamline, surviving a gripping five-set battle, 25-21, 24-26, 18-25, 25-22, 17-15, to punch its ticket to the semifinals of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Coming off a heartbreaking five-set loss to the same squad five days earlier to close the preliminaries, the Super Spikers bounced back with a determined showing. They regrouped after dropping the second and third sets, then regained control when it mattered most to complete the turnaround.
At the heart of the victory were Gel Cayuna, Vanie Gandler, and Erika Santos, who all delivered superb performances as Cignal overcame a 1-2 deficit and turned back the hard-fighting Cool Smashers. The win also marked their return to the semifinals for the first time since the PVL On Tour last year.
Cayuna masterfully orchestrated the offense with 35 excellent sets while also contributing 11 points. She steered the Super Spikers through what turned out to be the longest — and arguably most thrilling — match of the conference, a grueling two-hour, 30-minute battle.
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Santos, meanwhile, rediscovered her scoring touch and poured in a game-high 26 points on 23 attacks, two kill blocks, and one ace, along with 10 excellent digs. Gandler, for her part, unleashed a monster triple-double of 22 points, 28 excellent receptions, and 13 excellent digs.
“Una sa lahat, nagpapasalamat talaga ako kay Lord kasi grabe ‘yung guidance Niya sa amin. And then, siyempre, sa tatlong ‘to [Gel, Vanie, and Erika],” said Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos.
“Sinabi ko naman sa kanila… tumaas ang BP ko kanina,” he added in jest. “Sabi ko naman sa kanila na trabahuhin talaga at gustuhin ang manalo dahil for how many times siguro na nagkakaharap kami ng Creamline, I think ito ‘yung isa sa best game namin, especially going dun sa semis.”
Santos and Gandler, with Cayuna weaving her magic, ignited a blistering start in the fifth set. The three the tone early and leaving Creamline scrambling for answers as Cignal looked poised to secure the bounce-back win.
However, the Cool Smashers refused to go down quietly.
On the brink of defeat, Creamline leaned on the championship poise that built its dynasty of 10 titles. Tots Carlos broke through the block, before Gandler’s miscue tied the decider, erasing two match points.
Gandler then went toe-to-toe with Alyssa Valdez in a tense exchange, with neither side willing to blink as the score remained deadlocked at 15-all.
In the end, the Super Spikers capitalized on crucial errors as Jeanette Panaga committed a service miscue, followed by an attack error from Alyssa Valdez — which the Cool Smashers challenged for a block touch but was ruled in Cignal’s favor — handing them the dramatic victory.
“Ano po, nakahinga rin ng ano kasi grabe talaga rin ‘yung natutunan namin last game. Grabe rin ‘yung ensayo namin, ‘yung preparation namin, talagang all-out din aralin ‘yung Creamline para mapanalo namin ‘yung game ngayon,” Cayuna said.
Rose Doria-Aquino added eight points, while Tin Tiamzon and Ishie Lalongisip contributed six and five markers, respectively, for the Super Spikers. Dawn Catindig also had a stellar defensive game with 31 excellent receptions.
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Meanwhile, Bernadeth Pons returned from a two-game absence and scored a team-high 20 points for Creamline, while Valdez delivered another all-around performance with 18 points, 19 excellent digs, and 20 excellent receptions.
Panaga added 14 markers, while Carlos and Bea De Leon finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, to round out the Cool Smashers’ double-digit scorers.
Creamline will now head to the play-in, where it will face the winner of the Akari-Choco Mucho matchup.
