Dawn Catindig and Vanie Gandler returned for Cignal on Monday night but were unable to prevent a four-set loss to Creamline.
Despite the addition of their two Alas Pilipinas players, the HD Spikers were outplayed by the Cool Smashers, who secured a spot in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference gold medal match set for Thursday.
With this defeat, Cignal’s upcoming game against the Japanese guest team and defending champion Kurashiki on Wednesday becomes a high-stakes battle, as the winner will advance to the Final.
Fortunately for the HD Spikers, Catindig and Gandler have faced several Japanese teams recently, giving them a better understanding of Ablaze’s tendencies.
Alas Pilipinas recently played a two-game exhibition series with Saga Hisamitsu Springs, a team from the SV.League, last weekend.
(C) PVL Images
The Philippine national team also traveled to Japan in July for a training camp, where they faced local teams in tune-up matches.
“Siguro mas magiging proactive kami ni Vanie kasi we have experiences playing against Japanese teams, not only yung sa Hisamitsu but also when we were training in Himeji,” said Catindig, who made an impact in her return.
“In a way, they have these certain techniques na alam naming very standard ‘yun sa Japan and maishe-share namin yun sa team coming into this game,” she added.
Despite playing only from the second set onwards, Catindig, a defensive specialist, finished with 27 excellent digs on 44 attempts.
Game time on Wednesday is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Ablaze are coming off a four-set loss to Creamline last Sunday, their first defeat to the Cool Smashers after winning both of their matchups last year.
