Cignal HD Spikers’ Vanie Gandler soars for a spike against Galeries Tower Highrisers in the PVL All-Filipino Conference. –PVL PHOTO
After suffering its first loss at the end of last year, Cignal returned to its winning ways after adding to the woes of Galeries Tower, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19, in the PVL All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Vanie Gandler, who now has a bigger role in the offense with the departure of former team captain Ces Molina, led the way with 17 points from 13 attacks, three aces and a block as the HD Spikers improved to a 5-1 record.
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SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024-2025
“I am really happy with the performance of the team because inside the court you can really hear everyone leading in their own ways as in team work talaga and it’s so nice to hear and it’s so fun to play,” Gandler said.
“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,” Shaq delos Santos said as Cignal navigates the rest of the conference without Molina and veteran middle blocker Riri Meneses who both did not renew their contracts with the squad.
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Cignal HD Spikers during a PVL All-Filipino Conference game against Galeries Tower Highrisers. –PVL PHOTO
The Highrisers kept fighting despite being buried in a 9-0 deficit in the second frame and managed to come close at 21-19. But the HD Spikers remained composed despite the gritty fight that Galeries Tower brought.
The losing squad scored three straight points down the stretch of the final set, 22-19, that forced De los Santos call for a timeout that helped Cignal finish the job as Ishie Lalongisip nailed a cross-court followed by an attack error by Ysa Jimenez that brought the HD Spikers to match point.
PVL All-Filipino resumption: what happened and what to expect
Carol Santos, despite just coming off the bench in the third frame, ended the match with a tip.
Roselyn Doria, Lalongisip and Jackie Acuña all contributed nine points apiece as Gel Cayuna tossed 15 excellent sets. Newly-minted captain Dawn Macandili-Catindig protected the floor with 19 excellent digs.
“Super proud because everyone stepped up, and we just really enjoyed ourselves. It’s great to see the whole team connecting so well,” the defense ace said.
No Highriser reached double-digits in the one-hour and 31 minute matchup and Galeries Tower dropped its sixth game in seven matches.
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Galeries Tower looks to end its skid against Farm Fresh on Jan. 30 while Cignal tests its depleted lineup against PLDT on Jan. 28, both at PhilSports Arena.
