Cignal HD Spikers narrowly escaped a determined Galeries Tower side, clinching a hard-fought 23-25, 25-22, 26-28, 25-14, 15-11 victory in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference crossover round at the Philsports Arena on Thursday night.
Trailing 1-2 in sets, the HD Spikers mounted a dramatic comeback, showcasing their strength and resilience to force a deciding fifth set. Riri Meneses and import MJ Perez then led a crucial 6-1 run in Set 5, breaking a 4-all count and sealing the win for Cignal.
With the victory, Cignal improved to 6-1, maintaining second place in the standings behind unbeaten Akari.
Setter Gel Cayuna was instrumental in the win, delivering a conference-high 31 excellent sets, along with eight points, four aces and 10 excellent digs.
"Masaya po pero sobrang challenging talaga ‘yung game namin kanina. Talagang tinest ‘yung pasensya namin kung gaano kahaba kasi alam naman natin na Galeries talaga, matibay sa atake at defense," said Cayuna, a three-time PVL Best Setter awardee.
"Yun yung naging challenge namin na talagang kinapitan namin kung paano namin sila matatapatan at kung paano maipapanalo ‘yung game," she added.
Despite strong performances from Dimdim Pacres and Andrea Marzan, who brought the Highrisers back into contention at 11-13 in the decider, Perez delivered a decisive back-row attack. Cayuna sealed the match with a powerful ace, concluding a two-hour, 17-minute contest filled with intense action.
Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos expressed gratitude and relief after the match.
"Very thankful and blessed dahil doon sa panalo and doon sa buong game, no injuries. The good thing is ‘yun nga nakuha namin ‘yung game na ‘to kahit alam namin sa sarili namin na hindi talaga ‘yun ‘yung pwede pa naming igalaw," said delos Santos.
Perez finished with 34 points from 31 attacks and three blocks, and added 16 excellent receptions, while Ces Molina also contributed significantly with 19 points, 12 excellent digs and 14 excellent receptions.
Cignal will seek their third consecutive win and seventh overall when it squares off with Nxled on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Galeries Tower, which has struggled with several near-misses, suffered its seventh consecutive loss.
Sutadta Chuewulim led the Highrisers with 19 points, 20 excellent digs, and 20 excellent receptions. Ysa Jimenez added 18 points, and Alyssa Eroa contributed 26 excellent digs and 14 excellent receptions.
Galeries Tower will look for a breakthrough win against Capital1 on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
