NOT even a mid-game power outage could stop Cignal from extending its season-opening win streak.
The HD Spikers dispatched a winless Nxled side, 25-18, 25-22, 25-23, for their fourth straight victory in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Minglanilla Sports Complex in Cebu.
Vanie Gandler shone brightest in the PVL’s first-ever trip to the Queen City of the South with 13 points on nine attacks, three blocks, and one ace.
A sudden brownout at the venue early in the third set, with the tally at 5-4 in Nxled’s favor, resulted to a brief match suspension.
It took at least five minutes for the power issue to be resolved and an extra half an hour to restore the live feed and fix broadcast-related connections.
Team captain Ces Molina dished out 10 points to back Gandler’s hot hands once the match resumed and foil the Chameleons’ late comeback.
For the fifth game running, Chiara Permentilla was Nxled’s lone bright spot with 18 attack points, as her double-digit scoring streak continues to match their winless run.
Beating the Cebuano heat
A 4,205-strong crowd in Cebu gave both teams a reception just as warm as the venue itself.
Once the power went out, heat and humidity added another challenging layer that players and coaches alike had to overcome.
“That was actually hard because the momentum stopped for a long time. When you stop playing and then you play again after a long time, your body has to adapt to it again,” Gandler said.
“It was really hard, but I’m happy that our team made it and our players really stepped up.”
Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos had to instruct his players to move less and tone a tad bit down to avoid getting fatigued early.
“Pina-recover ko lang din talaga sila. Kita ko yung pagod ng mga players namin siguro dahil sa ambiance sa loob ng court na mainit talaga. Sabi naman namin before mangyari ‘to, i-expect na namin ‘to,” delos Santos said.
“Habang nandun kami sa court, kinailangan lang namin i-balance na hindi pwedeng galaw nang galaw eh (kasi) sobrang init talaga. Kahit ako, sobrang naiinitan pa rin.”
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