Cignal leaned on Nas Gwaza and Vince Abrot in a tense third set to complete a sweep of VNS-Laticrete, 25-16, 25-15, 26-24, securing a crucial bounce-back win in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena.
Coming off their first loss against Criss Cross last Wednesday, the HD Spikers found timely heroes in Gwaza and Abrot.
The two fueled a comeback from a 17-21 deficit in the third set to steer their team back into the win column of the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Down by four late in the set, Gwaza and Abrot powered a 5-0 run to give Cignal a 22-21 lead over the Griffins. However, CJ Segui responded with back-to-back points, followed by a sharp cross-court attack from KC Culabat, putting VNS at match point.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Gwaza then took control, delivering two quick attacks off well-placed sets from Owa Retamar. Then he rose above the net to deny Segui with a crucial kill block, flipping the advantage to Cignal at 25-24.
A costly net violation from RK Medino ultimately sealed the win for the HD Spikers after an hour and 20 minutes of play.
“Actually, ‘yung third set masyadong dikit pa eh. It’s a good thing that we won this game, but pagod na pagod sila sa last two hard trainings namin. Siyempre nagpursigi bawat isa pagkatapos ng talo namin,” said Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor.
“Kitang-kita sa katawan nila, sa performance nila na hirap na gumalaw. Pero alam naman namin na after ng lahat ng sacrifices namin, may maaani kami, so yeah, I’m happy na nanalo kami. Nakabawi after ‘yung loss against Criss Cross,” he added.
Team captain Wendel Miguel led Cignal’s balanced attack with nine points, while Steven Rotter chipped in eight despite playing only two sets. Lloyd Josafat and Louie Ramirez contributed seven points each.
EJ Casana orchestrated the offense with 11 excellent sets while adding three points — all from blocks.
Meanwhile, Abrot and Gwaza, who only saw action in the third set, made their presence felt with seven and six points, respectively, helping the HD Spikers improve to a 5-1 record, good for second place.
Cignal played without starting spiker Jau Umandal, who was sidelined due to a hyperextended knee.
The HD Spikers aim to build on this momentum when they face Savouge on Wednesday at 6:00 PM at the same venue.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Meanwhile, the Griffins suffered their second straight defeat, dropping to 1-5 in the standings.
Segui led VNS with 10 points and 11 excellent receptions, while Rash Nursiddik tallied eight markers. Culabat and Archer Codeniera added seven points apiece.
The Griffins will try to snap their skid when they take on the surging Criss Cross, also on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.
