Vanie Gandler played her best game as a pro as Cignal handed Petro Gazz its third consecutive loss, 25-15, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19 to climb up the standings of the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena, Saturday.
Gandler, who missed the team’s recent practice after dealing with flu last Thursday, dropped a career-high 23 points on 19 attacks, three blocks, and an ace.
She led the HD Spikers to their fourth consecutive win that moved them up to the fourth spot via a 5-2 standing.
“May sakit siya nung Thursday. Hindi siya nakapagtraining. Pero sabi ko nga, dahil alam namin kung gaano siya ka-sipag, kung gaano na siya nag-invest, ang inisip ko talaga is kailangan niya ng rest, full rest, and pagbalik niya kahapon okay naman,” said Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos.
Trailing by a solitary point in the fourth frame, 16-17, the HD Spikers went on an 8-0 blast led by Rose Doria and Gel Cayuna to take a 23-17 advantage over the Angels.
Grethcel Soltones and Remy Palma tried to keep Petro Gazz to within striking distance with through-the-block and running hits, respectively, but KC Galdones committed a service error before Gandler sealed the deal off the block.
“Sobrang thankful and blessed sa panalo na ‘to. Alam naman namin ‘to, inexpect naman talaga namin bago pa ang laban na ‘to, knowing Petro Gazz na puro solid na senior players so talagang alam namin kung paano sila mag-handle ng pressure,” added delos Santos.
Ces Molina backed Gandler with 17 points built on 15 attacks. Jovelyn Gonzaga chipped in seven points and 19 excellent digs after almost two hours of play.
Gel Cayuna delivered 14 excellent sets to go along with nine points and 12 excellent digs for the HD Spikers.
Cignal will try to make it five in a row against F2 Logistics on Thursday, 4:00 PM at the Filoil EcoOil Centre
On the other hand, Petro Gazz, after starting the conference with four consecutive wins, have now dropped their third-straight defeat to slide down to seventh place with a 4-3 record.
Grethcel Soltones paced the Angels with 16 points on 14 attacks and two aces to go along with 13 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions. Meanwhile, Remy Palma and Jonah Sabete each chipped in 11 points in the loss.
Petro Gazz will look to end its slump against Choco Mucho also on Thursday at 6:00 PM.
