BY John Miles Arcenal
CIGNAL rode reinforcement Katrin Trebichavska to overcome Akari in four sets, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20, Thursday night in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference at the Playtime Filoil Centre.
The Slovakian import tallied 25 points, helping the Super Spikers start the second round on the right foot. Following a stunning straight-set loss to Capital1 almost a week ago, this bounce back win improved their record to 3-3.
“Kailangan manalo talaga and nagbunga lang yung lahat ng effort and pinaghirapan namin sa training,” said head coach Shaq Delos Santos.
After an opening set where it had complete control, Cignal saw the Chargers respond with a strong second set of their own to level the match.
Come Set 3, though, the Super Spikers regained their rhythm with much thanks to captain Dawn Catindig, who anchored their floor defense for a total of 25 excellent digs.
Then in the fourth frame, Fifi Sharma energized Akari to a quick 5-1 start before Cignal countered with a run of its own capped by Erika Santos’ back-to-back aces that put it ahead, 7-6.
Cignal rights ship
From there, the Delos Santos-led squad never looked back, displaying poise to secure an important victory heading into the crucial stretch of the conference.
“Itong panalo namin, napakalaking impact para sa amin. Babaunin namin ito para sa next game namin. Of course, ZUS [Coffee], wala pang talo,” said the tactician, as they now aim to hand the Thunderbelles their first loss of the season.
“Pero naniniwala kasi kami sa team namin na kapag naglaro lang sila nang maayos, kakayanin namin yung game,” he added.
Santos led the locals with 19 points built on 13 attacks, three blocks, and three aces, while Roselyn Doria-Aquino and Ishie Lalongisip added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
For the Chargers, American import Annie Mitchem finished with 22 points, while Sharma and Grethcel Soltones chipped in 13 and eight, respectively. They dropped their second straight to fall to 3-3.
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