Cignal essayed a straight-set win over Foton in the next match-up of a busy four-game schedule on Tuesday, coming away with 25-10, 25-16, 25-22 victory to gain a share of second at 2-1 and tighten up the semis race in Pool B play of the 2023 PVL Invitational Conference at Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The HD Spikers imposed their will early behind Ces Molina, Jovelyn Gonzaga and Roselyn Doria’s sustained assaults then weathered the Tornadoes’ onslaught in the third to annex the 72-minute triumph and rebound from a four-set loss to the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers after dispatching the Angels, also in four, in the conference’s inaugurals last June 27.
“I’m very thankful to the Lord for guiding us for the entire game and the opportunity to train after dropping our last game. So it’s a good sign we were able to recover and win,” said Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos, who drew 16 points Molina, 14 hits from Gonzaga and 10 markers from Doria.
“We really needed this win, actually we should win all our games,” said Molina, citing the elims’ taut format, particularly in the six-team Group B of the two-division conference. Group A is made up for five squads.
Shaya Adorador posted a 13-hit showing while almost single-handedly keeping the Tornadoes in the fight in the third but failed to draw solid backup from the rest of the Tornadoes, who joined the Foxies in the sidelines with a third straight loss.
Mary Rhose Dapol scored six points while former playmaker Jasmine Nabor finished with five hits as an open spiker.
The HD Spikers used their power to set the tone for the rout, producing 56 spikes, 30 more than the Tornadoes’ combined output that all but settled the outcome of the contest.
