Jau Umandal felt fired up the entire game of Cignal against D’Navigators, and he was not shy about expressing his emotions.
The 6-foot-2 open spiker was seen celebrating every HD Spikers point, regardless if he was the one who scored or it was a teammate.
In the end, Cignal dumped D’Navigators in straight sets, 25-14, 25-21, 25-17, for a spotless 2-0 record in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference semifinals on Friday.
For Umandal, those shouts, high-fives, and celebratory acts were his little way of motivating his teammates.
“Sa akin kasi, kapag vocal ako sa loob ng court, feeling ko nae-encourage ko yung teammates ko eh. Feeling ko namo-motivate ko sila, nadadala ko sila kung anong energy meron ako,” said the 26-year-old national team mainstay after their win at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
“Siguro yun yung pinakagusto ko sa nangyayari every game namin na maging vocal ako sa loob ng court para masaya kami, nakakapag-isip kami,” he added.
Now, the HD Spikers are one step closer to returning to the Finals with a 2-0 record.
And Criss Cross, the team that dragged them to five sets in the elimination round, being the final hurdle.
Cignal also swept PGJC-Navy to start the semis last Wednesday, 25-16, 29-27, 25-22.
Umandal signed with Cignal before the 2023 Invitational, making him instantly the face of the franchise while Marck Espejo flew to South Korea to be the import of Incheon Korean Air Jumbos.
That experience surely helped his leadership skills and allowed him to be more vocal on the court. However, Umandal would also be the first to say that in the HD Spikers’ fold, everyone is a leader.
“Ako hindi ko tinitingnan yung sarili ko as the only leader. Ginagawa ko lang yung part ko, kung ano man yung maitutulong ko sa team,” said the University of Santo Tomas product.
“Sa amin talaga walang star, lahat kami kung may napapansin pwedeng magsalita, tatanggapin ng bawat isa sa amin.”
