PVL: Cignal shows dominance against Akari to secure No. 3 seed

The Cignal HD Spikers swept the Akari Chargers in their match-up, 25-17, 25-15, 25-21, to secure the No. 3 seed in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday, February 18, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Cignal finished the game in just one hour and 26 minutes.

Vanie Gandler unleashed 15 points, including 14 deadly attacks to lead the team to their third straight victory, while Roselyn Doria-Aquino delivered 12 crucial points, including three kill blocks, that earned her Best Player of the Game honors.

Rookie sensation Ishie Lalongisip continued her stellar play, chipping in 10 markers, while Jacqueline Acuña provided eight markers to complete a well-balanced assault. 

The win not only extended the HD Spikers winning streak but also etched their status as one of the team's to beat going into the knockout phase.

Regardless of the outcomes of the remaining matches involving PLDT and Choco Mucho, both holding 7-3 records, Cignal has secured the No. 3 seed due to its superior match points.

“We’re extremely happy because this was our target from the start – to hopefully claim the No. 3 spot,” said Cignal head coach Shaq Delos Santos in Filipino.

Having an 8-3 record and 25 points, Cignal is set to face the No. 10 seed in the next round. It would be either the Galeries Tower, Nxled or Capital1, all with identical 1-9 win records.

The HD Spikers are also expected to dominate their opponent in the knockout to advance in the best-of-three quarterfinals, have a deep playoff run, and even go all the way to the championship round.

On the other hand, Faith Nisperos led Akari with 12 markers as the Chargers finished the preliminaries with a 5-6 slate, and will have to wait for the result of the Chery Tiggo-Choco Mucho match-up to determine their final ranking.