Jau Umandal proved to be a thorn in his alma mater’s side, leading Cignal to a commanding 25-17, 25-13, 26-24 victory over University of Santo Tomas-Gameville in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference semifinals on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Umandal tallied 26 points on 22 attacks, alongside two service aces, two kill blocks, and six excellent receptions, as the Super Spikers bounced back from a tough five-set loss to rival Criss Cross to even their round-robin semifinals record at 1-1.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
“Yesterday’s game was a tough loss para sa amin,” said Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor. “Most especially during the set one. Ganun talaga, ang bigat ng pagkatalo namin kahapon. Even last night, most of us hindi nakatulog.”
The win also served as a measure of revenge for the Super Spikers, who had suffered one of their two losses during the eliminations to the same team.
They’re also finally on the scoreboard in the semifinals of the tournament organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, Arena Plus, and Black Mamba.
With UST-Gameville threatening to extend the game after tying it 24-all, Umandal slammed one off the block. Then Nas Gwaza delivered a booming ace — his only point of the match — sealing Cignal’s first win after an hour and 18 minutes of play.
“But kanina, maaga kami. Nag-viewing pa kami bago kami pumunta dito sa game. Wala naman kaming ibang pwedeng gawin kundi mag-move forward eh. Focus on the next game, focus on the next ball, be more specific kung anong kailangan naming gawin inside the court,” Clamor added.
Steven Rotter contributed nine points for the Super Spikers, while Jared Schnake and team captain JP Bugaoan added six and five points, respectively. Cian Silang orchestrated the offense with 18 excellent sets.
Former rookie libero Van Prudenciado recorded 14 excellent receptions and five excellent digs against his former team.
Cignal will aim for back-to-back wins against Savouge on Monday at 3:00 PM at the same venue.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Meanwhile, UST-Gameville fell to 0-2, tied with ProVolley Academy of Australia at the bottom of the standings.
Gboy De Vega was the lone double-digit scorer for the Golden Spikers with 15 points and 18 excellent receptions, while Sherwin Umandal added eight points.
Games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, with video-on-demand available via the Pilipinas Live app. Matches are also streamed on spikersturf.ph.
