PASSI CITY, Iloilo — Sleep was elusive for Erika Santos on Saturday night.
Still reeling from Cignal HD Spikers’ tough four-set loss to Chery Tiggo in front of a packed crowd at the City of Passi Arena, the 27-year-old opposite hitter lay awake in her hotel room, thoughts swirling about what went wrong. The defeat—Cignal’s first in the 2025 PVL On Tour after three straight sweeps—had hit hard.
“Di ako nakatulog kagabi, e,” Santos admitted.
And when she stepped back on the court the following day, she was a woman on a mission.
Fueled by frustration and the sting of defeat, Santos delivered a career-high 30-point performance to lead the HD Spikers to a commanding 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 25-16 victory over ZUS Coffee on Sunday. With the win, Cignal bounced back in style and locked in an outright quarterfinals berth in the preseason tournament.
“Balik lang sa kung ano yung pinagtrabahuan. Hindi kami papayag… Good thing na na-acknowledge namin yung nangyari last night,” Santos said. “Na-acknowledge yung mga pagkakamali, yung mga lapses, areas of corrections.”
The day prior, the HD Spikers were clearly not themselves. Missing the services of Dawn Catindig and Vanie Gandler—both tied up with Alas Pilipinas Women duties—Cignal looked disjointed and rattled against the resurgent Crossovers. They gave away 33 unforced errors and struggled with cohesion, allowing Chery Tiggo to steal the momentum.
Santos, who had a relatively quiet 14-point game that night, knew something had to change.
“Nalaman namin kung ano pa yung mga kulang at kailangan naming ma-learn. Di lang kami nag-stop. Nagtuloy-tuloy lang,” she added.
And lead the charge she did.
Santos set the tone early in the first set, firing off powerful swings from the right side that ZUS Coffee struggled to contain. Her relentless attacks and timely points kept Cignal in control for most of the match, especially in the fourth set where the HD Spikers slammed the door shut with a dominant finish.
Head coach Shaq delos Santos was visibly pleased with his new weapon’s breakout game.
“Sabi ko nga kanina, bawing-bawi ka kasi kahapon, ang dami ring errors. Sabi ko, ‘O, bawing-bawi ka na, ha.’ Sabi niya, ‘Oo, coach. Di ako nakatulog kagabi, e,’” he shared with a smile.
“Good thing naman kasi another opportunity for us today na kung ano yung nawala sa amin before—kung ano yung pagkukulang kahapon—kailangan mabawi namin. Which is, ayun, nag-materialize,” he added.
Since joining Cignal in the offseason, Santos has been gradually proving her worth, averaging 14.25 points in the first four games. But Sunday’s statement performance was a different beast altogether—it wasn’t just about the numbers; it was about heart, accountability, and hunger.
While the spotlight was firmly on her, Santos was quick to redirect the praise.
“Good thing kasi yung mga paghihirap namin, nag-pay off. Credit po sa mga teammates ko at mga coaches namin na nag-trabaho,” said the former La Salle stalwart.
“No words kasi feel ko yung trust ng bawat isa, ng coaches. Magtatrabaho pa ko.”
