ANTIPOLO — Cignal opened its campaign with a dominant sweep of Farm Fresh, 25-15, 25-18, 25-21, in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Ynares Center.
Team captain Ces Molina and Jovelyn Fernandez – who stepped into the starting opposite spiker role vacated by Chin Basas – led the charge for the HD Spikers.
The team also spoiled the head coaching debut of Benson Bocboc with Farm Fresh.
Molina delivered a game-high 14 points, including 11 attacks and three service aces. Meanwhile, Fernandez excelled in her new role, contributing 11 points, 10 of which came from attacks, in the one-hour, 27-minute victory.
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Cignal executed a near-perfect game, minimizing their errors to just 11, while Farm Fresh struggled with 21 unforced errors.
“First and foremost, I’m very thankful to the Lord for guiding us. I’m really happy with the team’s performance. We know that this isn’t exactly how we want to play yet,” said Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos.
“We still have a lot of things we can execute better. The good thing is that everyone performed, and hopefully, we can carry this momentum into our next games.”
Middle blockers Rose Doria and Ria Meneses each scored seven points.
Vanie Gandler had a well-rounded performance with six points, seven excellent digs, and six excellent receptions for Cignal.
Gel Cayuna orchestrated the offense with 16 excellent sets and added five points, while Dawn Catindig anchored the defense with 20 excellent digs and five excellent receptions.
With the win, the HD Spikers moved to 1-0 in the standings.
Cignal will next face Chery Tiggo on Thursday at 4:00 PM at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
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On the other hand, Farm Fresh was without newcomers Rachel Daquis and Jheck Dionela. They were also missing the recovering Jolina Dela Cruz and Lorene Toring, which contributed to a difficult start to their tournament.
Trisha Tubu was the lone double-digit scorer for the Foxies with 15 points, all on attacks, while Rizza Cruz added nine.
The Foxies will look to bounce back from the loss when they face Petro Gazz on Saturday at 4:00 PM in Candon, Ilocos Sur.
