Cignal secures second win, outplays Chery Tiggo in four sets

Cignal overcame a second frame deficit to win the next two, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-21, against Chery Tiggo in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Thursday, November 21.

Fueled by their excellent patience and strong floor defense, the HD Spikers outperformed the Crossovers in a battle of spurts to stay undefeated in two games and tied Akari and PLDT for first place on the leaderboard.

"Happy because the team performed well but we know that is still not what we want to happen. The good thing is, while we encountered that situation, we were able to recover," said Cignal head coach Shaq Delos Santos.

Vanie Gandler, Judith Abil, and Riri Meneses all helped the HD Spikers reach a convincing 5-1 final run after being knotted at 20 in the fourth set.

With another outstanding performance, captain Ces Molina set the tone for Cignal. The seasoned winger contributed on defense with nine digs and seven outstanding receptions while also scoring 12 of her 13 points on kills.

Gandler delivered 12 of her markers from attacks and had nine outstanding receptions, while Meneses also tallied 12 points, including a string of fast kills to put the HD Spikers at match point.

Dawn Macandili-Catindig was a standout defensive player with 23 digs and six receptions, and Buding Duremdes made her Cignal debut against her former squad.

Cignal will take Choco Mucho next on Thursday, November 28, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

On the other hand, Chery Tiggo suffered its first defeat of the season, falling to a 1-1 record.

Ara Galang led the Crossovers' attack with 13, while Cess Robles and Seth Rodriguez each contributed 12 points.

Mary Rhose Dapol also achieved double digits with 10 markers, while libero Jen Nierva recorded 13 digs and 13 receptions.

Chery Tiggo aims to bounce back on Tuesday, November 26, also at the Pasig venue.