Cignal mounted a stunning comeback in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino semifinals, snatching victory from the brink of defeat by overturning second seed Choco Mucho, 18-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-19, 15-10, much to the surprise of the big Thursday crowd at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Virtually given up for lost after their hitters and middles faced challenges in the face of the Flying Titans’ strong start, the HD Spikers found a resurgence in the third set, sustained their momentum in the next then outwitted their rivals’ in a pressure-packed finish to complete their stirring victory.
It boiled down to execution in the end as the HD Spikers closed out with a decisive 6-0 run to turn a 9-10 deficit into a resounding five-point victory in two hours and 25 minutes.
"Una, thank you kay Lord kasi grabe yung binigay nyang lakas samin. We know naman na hindi pa rin talaga nasunod yung mga gusto namin but ang good thing after second set that's the time na realize namin na kailangan na namin trabahuhin lahat,” said Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos. “So, sobrang proud ako sa team especially sa mga players kasi grabe yung effort na ginusto nila and yeah, nagresult ng maganda pero hindi kami pwedeng maging complacent pero pwede namin enjoyin yung panalo namin"
Coming out of a huddle, Jovelyn Gonzaga unloaded a kill to tie the count at 10, then Ces Molina delivered on a rare set by Riri Meneses, whose off-speed hit in the ensuing play ended the third long rally in the set – all won by the HD Spikers.
Vanie Gandler then came through with a “lucky” serve that looked short but caught the top of the net before dropping to an open spot in Zone 2.
The Flying Titans tried to halt the HD Spikers’ onslaught but fumbled in their bid to counter, resulting to an Isa Molde attack error and Meneses and Molina foiled Kat Tolentino’s last assault to cap their near-improbable comeback against a team that swept its last 10 games in the elims to the disappointment of the predominantly Choco Mucho fans.
“Huwag nyong pansinin ang ingay nila. Isipin nyo na sa side n'yo sila,” delos Santos told his wards after the crowd erupted following Molde’s block off Gandler that shoved the Flying Titans to a 10-9 lead.
The HD Spikers responded and silenced not just Rondina, Tolentino and Molde but also the fans as they got back at the Flying Titans, who swept them in the elims.
The victory thus put Cignal on the threshold of a second championship appearance after yielding the Reinforced crown to the Petro Gazz Angels last year.
The HD Spikers placed sixth in this year’s first All-Filipino Conference and wound up third in the Invitational Conference.
Molina finished with 23 points, including 20 on attacks, while Gandler and Gonzaga backed her with solid 17- and 16-point games as the HD Spikers beat the Flying Titans in spikes, 70-60. They lost in blocks, 8-11, but capitalized on their rivals’ wobbly reception and scored eight aces, while giving up three of their own.
Setter Gel Cayuna sizzled with her explosive aces, scoring four that keyed the HD Spikers’ third set romp then Meneses combined with Molina in the fourth to help Cignal erect a huge 17-10 bulge on their way to sending the match into full route.
And there was no stopping the HD Spikers in the fifth although the Flying Titans tried to regroup to salvage the set, the match and their streack. They did rally from 1-4 down and kept pressing their bid until Sisi Rondina’s off-the-block hit tied the count at 8.
Rondina continued her hard-hitting ways and finished with 19 points but the former UST stalwart struggled in the third and fourth sets. Tolentino scored 16 points, Molde added 11 markers and Maddie Madayag and Cherry Nunag matched 10-point outputs for the Flying Titans.
Cayuna also best counterpart Deanna Wong, 29-25, in their own duel in playmaking with both living up to expectations with their variety of sets that almost always kept the other side’s defense guessing.
