Coming off a deflating loss to Galeries Tower in the qualifying round, Cignal bounced back with a dominant performance against Capital1, securing a 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 25-15 victory to move to the brink of clinching a spot in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals on Thursday at the Philsports Arena.
The HD Spikers were on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in league history last week at the hands of the Highrisers.
However, they responded in style, taking down the upset-seeking Solar Spikers to grab an early 1-0 lead in Group A.
Vanie Gandler, Rose Doria-Aquino, and Ishie Lalongisip stepped up for Cignal, which had to recover from a narrow second-set loss before dominating the next two to seal the victory after nearly two hours of play.
(C) PVL Images
Gandler spearheaded the HD Spikers’ attack with 21 points, converting 20 of her 52 attack attempts, while also tallying 14 excellent receptions.
Doria-Aquino contributed 18 points, including 13 attacks, three kill blocks, and two aces, while Lalongisip added 15 points and 10 excellent receptions.
Team captain Dawn Catindig anchored the floor defense with 18 excellent digs and seven excellent receptions, while Gel Cayuna orchestrated the offense with 20 excellent sets.
“Siyempre unang-una, nagpapasalamat kami kay Lord, dahil okay naman kami lahat, healthy, and then no injuries, and then sa panalo. ‘Yun naman yung kailangan namin magawa this time. Malaking tulong ‘to para sa amin at para sa next game namin,” said Cignal head coach Shaq Delos Santos.
The HD Spikers pulled away in the fourth set, building a 15-9 lead after a Jovelyn Fernandez attack. Caroline Santos, Gandler, Doria-Aquino, and Cha Cuñada then sparked a 5-0 run, turning an 18-13 cushion into a commanding 23-13 advantage — one that Capital1 never recovered from.
Cignal will look to secure its playoff spot when it faces ZUS Coffee on Tuesday at 6:30 PM. The top team from Pool A will earn the right to face Petro Gazz in the quarterfinals.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, the Solar Spikers are now on the brink of elimination and will try to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive against the Thunderbelles on Thursday, also at 6:30 PM.
Leila Cruz led Capital1 with 12 points and nine excellent digs, while Trisha Genesis also finished with 12 markers in the loss.
