Cignal aims to solidify its hold on the No. 3 seeding as it faces an Akari squad looking for consistency in the crucial qualifying round of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.
Currently tied with the Choco Mucho Flying Titans at third with identical 7-3 win-loss records, the HD Spikers can officially claim the spot – and secure a clash with the No. 10 team in the next round – even if the Flying Titans prevail over the Chery Tiggo Crossovers on Feb. 22 in Iloilo City.
Cignal holds an advantage in points (22-17) over Choco Mucho, which could prove decisive in seeding. The rankings play a crucial role, as the Top 6 teams will enter the knockout phase with a psychological edge. The tournament format pits No. 1 vs No. 12, No. 2 vs No. 11 and so forth.
Winners will proceed to the best-of-three quarterfinals, while losing teams will battle for the last two Last 8 slots in a novel play-in tournament.
Coming off back-to-back wins against Capital1 and ZUS Coffee, Cignal is slightly favored despite the departure of two key players. The HD Spikers remain formidable, led by Vanie Gandler, who continues to deliver consistent performances, along with rookie sensation Ishie Lalongisip, Jacqueline Acuña, Roselyn Doria-Aquino and ace setter Gel Cayuna.
“‘Yung mindset namin sa last game is we need to get that win para advantage rin namin ‘yun for the placing sa preliminaries and ayun back to training lang kami and mag-trabaho lang dahil walang ibang gagawa sa game kundi kaming players na sumusunod kay coach,” said Lalongisip.
Meanwhile, Akari (5-5) is tied at sixth with Chery Tiggo and is eager to regain momentum after a four-set loss to Choco Mucho. Head coach Taka Minowa hopes to draw standout performances from Faith Nisperos, Ivy Lacsina, Eli Soyud, Fifi Sharma, Erika Raagas, Kamille Cal and Camille Victoria.
In the second match, Farm Fresh (4-6) seeks to end its prelims campaign at 5-6 against the struggling Capital1 Solar Spikers (1-9). The Foxies appear to have the upper hand on a team led by Trisha Tubu, Caitlin Viray, Aly Bertolano and Jolina dela Cruz.
Meanwhile, Capital1, tied at the bottom with Nxled (1-9), seeks to turn things around but coach Roger Gorayeb will need strong performances from Shola Alvarez, Des Clemente-De Guzman, Trisha Genesis, Jorelle Singh, Rovena Instrella, Patty Orendain and Leila Cruz to build confidence heading into the next phase of the tournament organized by Sports Vision and supported by Watsons, Arena Plus, Fabriano Appliances, Milcu, iColor & Argan Beauty, Tapa King, Sport Radar, and Mikasa.
Games are aired live on Pilipinas Live, RPTV, One Sports, One Sports+, and pvl.ph.
