Cignal staged a remarkable comeback late in the fourth set to claim a 20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 victory over PLDT, clinching the bronze medal in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on a rainy Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Facing the possibility of a fifth set, the HD Spikers rallied from a 14-19 deficit behind the stellar efforts of MJ Perez, Ces Molina, and Gel Cayuna, with the entire team providing crucial support, particularly at the net, where they managed to stymie several attacks by PLDT’s Elena Samoilenko.
In the decisive play, Perez executed a kill block against Samoilenko, bringing Cignal to match point. The HD Spikers maintained their lead as Perez notched her 26th point with a decisive hit that PLDT libero Kath Arado could not dig, capping off a thrilling finish.
"Mixed emotions," said Cayuna, trying to gather her thoughts after the grueling two-hour, seven-minute match. "We were nervous because PLDT is a strong team. But no matter what the calls were, we gave it our all, and we’re proud of this third-place finish. It still means a lot."
Cayuna, who was named the best player of the game with 16 excellent sets and eight points, led Cignal to its fifth bronze medal in the league.
Perez, who came out of retirement to spearhead Cignal's campaign in this mid-season conference organized by Sports Vision, added 11 excellent receptions and nine digs to her offensive output in a superb all-around performance.
"I’m so grateful and thankful to the Lord for this win," said Perez. "We’ve been fighting so hard this conference, and we deserve this. I’m so, so happy."
Molina added 20 points, while Chai Troncoso impressed with 10 points. Jackie Acuña and Riri Meneses contributed eight and five points, respectively.
Despite leading all scorers with 35 points, Samoilenko’s performance waned in the closing moments, leading to multiple blocked attempts.
Fiola Ceballos added 11 points, while Erika Santos and Majoy Baron chipped in six points each for PLDT, which finished in fourth place for the third time since joining the league in 2021.
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