CIGNAL dodged an early elimination scare with a 22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 win over ZUS Coffee in the 2025 PVL Invitational at the Philsports Arena.
A rare Monday match day saw the HD Spikers’ full roster back on display as Alas Pilipinas winger Vanie Gandler made her PVL return, joining the Nationals’ co-captain Dawn Catindig.
Gandler’s first team-up with reigning preseason MVP Erika Santos kept Cignal, with a 1-3 (win-loss) record, in contention for a second-place prelims finish at best after halting a four-game skid.
Still without half of its core, the Thunderbelles slide to 0-2 in their Invitational debut.
The HD Spikers' national team contingent delivered in the blowout win, with Catindig producing an 18-dig, 15-reception double-double and Gandler's clutch six-piece.
Santos had the lion's share in Cignal's scoring masterclass with 21 points.
Not even a depleted ZUS Coffee's one-two punch in Chai Troncoso (16 points and 11 digs) and Kate Santiago (14 points) could weather Cignal's urgency to keep its top four chase alive.
Too strong, too much
Santos & Co. was quick to made amends from a first-set hiccup by dominating the match the rest of the way.
Cignal pulled away early in the three succeeding sets, building margins as big as nine and keeping it that way for the remainder of the two-hour contest.
With a mix of young players, new signings and longtime mainstays, Catindig sees an encouraging future for the HD Spikers that continue to figure out how to put their pieces together in their ongoing rebuild.
"Yung potential ng team, sobrang I’m looking forward to it na lahat ng players namin ngayon, talagang may ibubuga. It’s just that kailangan din nila maniwala sa potential nila na kaya nila maglevel up pa ng mataas talaga," Catindig said.
"Yun yung wino-work talaga ng coaches and kaming mga ate na bigyan talaga ng kumpyansa yung mga bata kasi ang laki pa ng kaya nilang iimprove."
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