Gel Cayuna served long to yield the first point but Cignal tracked the short route to the semis with a compelling 25-15, 25-21, 25-21 victory over Choco Mucho in their knockout duel for the other Pool B slot in the next round in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Tuesday.
The HD Spikers used their experience, solid blocking and top-notch coverage plus timing to overwhelm the young Flying Titans, who came into the do-or-die match brimming with utmost confidence after wheeling back into semis contention with a thrilling five-set win over Petro Gazz over the weekend.
But Cignal proved more than ready to scuttle Choco Mucho’s bid, virtually shutting down the prolific Sisi Rondina with an almost impenetrable net barrier, leaving the former UST ace, who fired 29 points against the Angels, and the rest of the Flying Titans frustrated, particularly in the opening frame.
Their discontent spilled into the next two sets as the HD Spikers stayed in control while keeping their nerves in check in stretch-run battles. Held to a tight finish in the second, Cignal unleashed a 6-2 closing run to break out of a 19-18 count then pulled away from the same shaky one-point edge in the third with another 6-3 blast aided by Rondina’s serve that slammed into the net.
But while F2 Logistics’ sweep was expected, Cignal’s feat wasn’t but the seasoned HD Spikers flashed game-long brilliance and underscored their readiness to contend for the championship after struggling to sixth place in the last All-Filipino Conference.
“Sobrang blessed and happy. Kasi kung paano namin inaral, pano kami nag-prepare, yung adjustments, lumabas lahat. Pero nag-struggle din kami sa training,” said Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos. “Ang wish ko na lang ay mai-apply namin lahat ito sa game.”
They did as the HD Spikers responded and rose to the challenge, dominating the first set then out-witting and repulsing the Flying Titans in the next two on strong finishes to complete the one-hour, 43-minute victory.
“Nanaig yung tiwala sa players. May leader(s) ka to take control of the team,” added delos Santos, referring to his seasoned aces Rachel Anne Daquis, Jovelyn Gonzaga and Ces Molina.
The left-handed Gonzaga fired 13 points, including 10 on attacks, while Daquis snapped a two-game struggle with a big 12-point showing while providing the leadership and spunk all throughout.
Molina added 10 markers, the same output put in by Roselyn Doria, who spiked her impressive stint with three kill blocks, while Riri Meneses and Cayuna wound up with six and five points, respectively.
“Sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam na na-achieve namin ang goal namin," said Gonzaga, who laced his superb all-around performance with eight excellent digs and four receptions.
“Credit to my teammates and coaches. I struggled in our last two games but I told Jov (Gonzaga) that ‘believe me, iba tayo maglaro kapag dikdikan ang laban’,” said the team's skipper and leader.
Rondina did topscore for Choco Mucho for the fifth straight time but her 14-point production fell way short of her norm as the HD Spikers’ defenders ganged up on her in flight while the rest backed them up solid floor defense.
The rest of the Flying Titans also struggled offensively with the next best scorers – Caitlyn Viray and Maddie Madayag ending up with six points apiece and Chery Nunag and Des Cheng settling for five markers each. Kat Tolentino was also held to a measly two-point game in a two-set stint.
Meanwhile, that early Cayuna slip also turned out to be a spark for the HD Spikers, who racked up 12 of the next 15 points to wrest control by eight points before pulling away at 22-8, firing up the bench while silencing the Flying Titans’ horde of fans.
Choco Mucho did fight back by stringing seven straight points but Gonzaga cut short their rally with back-to-back hits then Meneses foiled Rondina’s attack to wrap up the surprising one-sided first set skirmish.
Fluid on their offense and efficient on transition, the HD Spikers also came away with seven blocks on top of a 13-attack point showing against their rivals’ three and five, respectively, that set the tone for the first-set rout.
Choco Mucho kept it close in the second frame but after threatening at 18-19, the Flying Titans yielded a point on a Viray missed attack that ran over the length of net before dropping outside.
Choco Mucho contested the point but lost its block touch challenge and Gonzaga took over again for the HD Spikers, firing away another couple of clutch hits while Daquis scored on a left-hand push and foiled Tolentino twice, the last shoving Cignal to an imposing 2-0 set lead.
Put on pins and needles again at 19-18 in the third, the HD Spikers went on a stirring four-point roll on a Meneses quick hit, a Molina kill after a long exchange, a Nunag wild attack, and a lucky “over-pass” by Jheck Dionela that sailed over the net and landed just infront of Nunag.
A Meneses block put Cignal at match point but the Flying Titans scored back-to-back points to stall the HD Spikers before Rondina yielded the point and the match with a flawed serve.
