Riding the crest of a stunning victory over Petron in their knockout match Thursday, Cignal hopes to go all the way to the Promised Land as it battles F2 Logistics in Game 1 of their Philippine Superliga All Filipino Conference finals on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Match is at 6 p.m. with the HD Spikers out to get back at the Cargo Movers and complete their stirring playoff run after ending Petron’s three-year reign in the tournament.
The HD Spikers capped their dominant show over the Blaze Spikers with a pulsating 30-28, 25-21, 17-25, 23-25, 15-8 triumph on Thursday.
They forced a rubber match following a 25-20, 10-25, 16-25, 27-25, 15-11 on Tuesday.
Jovelyn Gonzaga is once again expected to inspire her teammates after another stellar performance that saw her drop 32 points.
On Wednesday, Gonzaga led PacificTown Army to a record 39-41, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-12 decision over Choco Mucho in the Premier Volleyball League Season 3 Open Conference also at The Arena.
In that win, Gonzaga produced 24 points.
Whether the Ilongga still has enough fire left will be known when she go up against the Cargo Movers.
“Hindi ko na iniisip yung pagod. Worth it naman,” said Gonzaga, who played 15 sets over the last three days.
Also guiding Cignal as it bids a first All Filipino title and second crown overall in this best-of-three finals series are Rachel Daquis, who averages 21 points in the last two games, Roselyn Doria, libero Jheck Dionela and setter Alohi Robins-Hardy.
Coming off a few days of respite after besting Foton in the other semis pairing, F2 Logistics, meanwhile, is not taking Cignal any lightly.
The Cargo Movers know that the HD Spikers are on a run, having bested their higher-seeded rivals including Generika-Ayala in the knockout quarterfinals.
F2 Logistics, however, dominated Cignal, 25-2, 18-25, 25-16, 16-25, 16-14, in the first round, and 25-18, 25-14, 25-22, in their second matchup.
Kalei Mau spearheads the Cargo Movers along with a deep frontline composed of Aby Marano, libero Dawn Macandili, Ara Galang and Majoy Baron.
Game 2 will be played on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena while Game 3, if necessary, will be held on Thursday. (KRISTEL SATUMBAGA)