CIGNAL served revenge when it mattered most.
The Super Spikers settled a score against Creamline, 25-21, 24-26, 18-25, 25-22, 17-15, in the qualifying round to reach the semifinals of the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It took four match points before Cignal put a gutsy Creamline side away, courtesy of a serving miscue by the Cool Smashers and later an attack error by Alyssa Valdez.
After fading late in five-set duel against Creamline to end the elims last week, Cignal refused to make the same mistake twice in another tiebreak against the 10-time champions for its ninth PVL semis appearance after missing the last two.
"Nakaka-proud dahil, alam mo 'yun, for how many times na nagkakaharap kami ng Creamline, I think ito 'yung isa sa best games namin, especially dito na going to the semis," said Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos.
"Sobrang happy dahil alam naman din nila kung gaano nila pinaghirapan 'yun."
Gel Cayuna registered a herculean double-double effort, a rarity for a setter, with 35 excellent sets and 11 points.
Erika Santos led the charge with 26 points, while Vanie Gandler turned in a signature all-around gem with 22 points, 28 receptions and 13 digs.
Anchoring it all was Dawn Catindig, who came up huge on defense with 31 excellent digs to keep Creamline at bay.
Loud and clear
Cignal came out sharp this time unlike their prelims match, racing to a 19-13 lead and holding off Creamline’s late push behind a Santos hit.
Set 2 was tight all the way, with the Super Spikers reaching set point first at 24-23. But the Cool Smashers flipped it in a flash, as Valdez sparked a three-point swing capped by back-to-back hits from Bernadeth Pons to tie things up.
The next two sets followed a similar pattern, with early momentum holding through to the finish as Creamline rode Tots Carlos to take the third, while Cignal sustained its slim leads and forced a decider behind a Tin Tiamzon power hit.
The fifth set looked like Cignal’s to take early, with Santos firing the first three points in a 4-0 start.
Valdez dragged Creamline back to level at 10-all, but the Super Spikers held firm. Gandler took over down the stretch before a Pangs Panaga service error and a Valdez down-the-line hit that sailed wide sealed the five-set win.
Even with Jia de Guzman dishing out 31 excellent sets and five players scoring in double figures, Creamline still came up short. Valdez notched back-to-back triple-doubles with 18 points, 20 receptions, and 19 digs, while Bernadeth Pons paced the offense with 20 points.
Pangs Panaga added 14 markers built on four blocks, Tots Carlos chipped in 12 and Bea de Leon finished with 11, but it still wasn’t enough to carry the Cool Smashers through.
Creamline has been relegated to the play-ins, with one last chance to reach the semifinals against either former title rival Akari or sister team Choco Mucho.
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