Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

News

PLDT outlasts Cignal in epic fifth set to seal bronze


Wanting to end their campaign with hardware, the PLDT Home Fibr Power Hitters survived a late Cignal HD Spikers surge to cop the 2019 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix bronze, 25-19, 25-18, 20-25, 20-25, 19-17, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.

Handily taking the first two sets, PLDT then fell off in the next two and were dragged into a fifth set. According to head coach Roger Gorayeb, this was a symptom of PLDT’s struggles through the tournament.

“Sakit na talaga namin ‘yung biglang nawawala sa laro. Nagbabago timpla namin after manalo,” said Gorayeb.

The fifth set saw PLDT go ahead, 14-12, before their own back-to-back errors kept Cignal in the match. PLDT’s Grace Lazard decided the match, powering in a spike before blocking Cignal HD’s Ana Artemeva for the match’s final sequence.

Gorayeb emphasized the importance of salvaging bronze. The Power Hitters debuted last season, finishing sixth in the All-Filipino Conference. A third place result represents a significant improvement for PLDT.

“Natutuwa ako kasi hindi lang para sa kanila, para din sa kumpanya namin kasi alam mo hanggat sumusuporta sila may malalaruan kami ng volleyball,” added Gorayeb, whose wards remained unbeaten in five-setters.

“Natutuwa rin ako kasi bago kaming sali dito pangalawang conference namin coming from sixth place. Ngayon naman maganda standing namin. Nasa third place kami so maganda yun para sa mga bata,” he continued.

Kendra Dahlke led PLDT with 27 points, while Lazard finished with 22.

Cignal HD improved on their sixth-place standing in the 2018 Grand Prix. Erica Wilson exploded for 33 points, while Ana Artemeva added 17.

#ReadMore  B.League imports Ravena bros, Dwight Ramos commit for Window 5

The Scores

PLDT (3) – Dahlke 27, Lazard 22, Urdas 14, Soltones 12, Devanadera 3, Nabor 2, Alvarez 0, Sta. Rita 0, Pantone (L)

Cignal HD (2) – Wilson 33, Artemeva 17, Paat 11, Daquis 9, Vivas 3, Masangkay 2, Navarro 2, Cardiente 0, Musa 0, Salamagos 0, Dionela (L)

Written By

Miguel Luis Flores fell face first into sports writing in high sch9l and has never gotten up. He reluctantly stumbled into the volleyball beat when he started with Tiebreaker Times three years ago. Now, he has waded through everything volleyball - from its icky politics to the post-modern art that is Jia Morado's setting.


You May Also Like

News

Owa Retamar and Nico Almendras once again found themselves back in the Invitational Conference final—the same tournament they last won for National University in...

News

By: Christian David Ruiz Louie Ramirez will now carry an extra sense of pride every time he steps onto the Spikers’ Turf. The 24-year-old...

News

By: Czarina Agaton Cignal faced daunting odds heading into the championship game of the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference. Standing in the HD Spikers...

News

Petro Gazz dealt Cignal its first loss of the tournament with a dominant 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 sweep, extending their winning streak to four matches...

News

Chery Tiggo dug deep to overcome a resilient Galeries Tower side, securing a hard-fought 30-28, 20-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-8 victory to return to the...

News

Cignal cruised past a young and inexperienced Kondohgumi Hyogo squad with a commanding 25-11, 25-8, 25-18 victory, in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference at...

News

Criss Cross took sole possession of the lead in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference semifinals after a 25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 26-24 victory over...

News

MINGLANILLA – Galeries Tower ended its long losing streak by defeating Capital1 in straight sets, 26-24, 25-14, 25-23, to earn its first victory in...

Advertisement