CIGNAL isn’t chasing star power, even with a semifinals field stacked with it.
For Vanie Gandler, the Super Spikers’ strength lies in something less flashy but far more sustainable.
“I think we all just play very selflessly. No one wants to be the star. We just try to cover for each other in whatever way that is,” said Gandler, who delivered 18 points and six digs in Cignal’s dominant semis-opening win over Farm Fresh.
READ: Cignal dominates Farm Fresh to inch closer to PVL Finals berth
Taking that ‘we, not me’ approach allows the team to stay fluid, adjusting based on who has the rhythm on any given day.
“If Erika [Santos] is doing better in offense this day, I try to do my best to have good first balls for her. And if she’s struggling, I try to step up also but not just me, so I think it’s that support system we have with one another,” she said.
“We allow each other to make errors. We allow each other to have the time to recover.”
Even as one of the league’s top performers this conference, Gandler isn’t concerned with leading the numbers game despite being touted as a conference MVP contender.
What matters more is keeping the system intact, one where roles can shift seamlessly without disrupting the team’s flow.
That identity has taken shape within a core that, while slightly retooled, remains among the most cohesive in the league.
“Cignal’s different in a way na our core changed a bit. We had our key players from before leave and now we added some more key players, so we needed a bit of time to learn how to play together,” Gandler said.
“But in terms of the heart, it’s all from the accumulation of all our heartbreaks that we had in the past.”
Those setbacks, rather than break them, have sharpened their edge. And they’re now at least a win away from a third crack at the PVL crown.
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