Undermanned Cignal shines with dominant win over Galeries Tower

Cignal showed no sign of depletion as they overpowered Galeries Towers in straight sets, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19, in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena on Tuesday, January 21.

Despite entering a new era without key players Ces Molina and Riri Meneses, the HD Spikers kicked off their campaign with a 5-1 record.

“Very thankful because we won in straight sets, and I’m proud of the team because what we’ve been working on in training is starting to show. But, of course, we still need to keep working until we master what we want to achieve and execute it in every game,” coach Shaq delos Santos said as Cignal made its way through the remainder of the conference without Molina and veteran middle blocker Meneses, who both chose not to extend their contracts with the team.

Vanie Gandler led the charge for the HD Spikers, being the lone player to reach double-digit scoring. She finished with 17 points built from 13 attacks, three aces, and a block.

Roselyn Doria, Ishie Lalongisip, and Jackie Acuña each posted nine markers, while the newly appointed captain, Dawn Macandili-Catindig, made 19 outstanding digs to defend the floor.

“Super proud because everyone stepped up, and we just really enjoyed ourselves. It’s great to see the whole team connecting so well,” Macandili-Catindig said.

Cignal will return next Tuesday, January 28, to battle the PLDT High Speed Hitters at the same venue.

Meanwhile, no Highrisers scored in double-digits, with Ysa Jimenez and Julia Coronel both tallying eight points in the losing cause.

Galeries Towers will be back on court on January 30 to face Farm Fresh.