CIGNAL manhandled the Volida Volleyball Club, 25-12, 25-7, 25-8, to march on to the quarterfinals with an unbeaten slate in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Challenge Cup on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
It took the HD Spikers only 49 minutes to score the easy win and complete a perfect 4-0 slate in Pool A.
Cignal, with the fastest win so far in the men’s division, has yet to yield a single set in a stellar campaign so far to live up to expectations as one of the heavy title favorites in the 20-team men’s division of the tourney supported by the Philippine Sports Commission headed by chairman Richard Bachmann, PLDT, Rebisco, Akari, Foton and CBPI.
The HD Spikers drubbed their first three opponents in convincing fashions as well, beating Kuya JM-Davao City, 25-19, 25-17, 25-20, Savouge Aesthetics, 25-21, 25-16, 25-22, and the University of Batangas 25-14, 25-15, 25-16,
In the women’s play earlier, the Philippine Air Force soared to quarterfinals with its third straight win in Pool B after wiping out Tacloban City-EV, 25-12, 25-20, 25-15.
Arellano, for its part, stayed afloat in the Pool C race with a 2-1 record after completing a 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12, comeback win against Rizal Technological University-Basilan in a back-and-forth duel that lasted more than two hours.
In other games of the men’s division on Friday night, Savouge Aesthetics drubbed Kuya JM-Davao City, 25-17, 25-19, 25-20, to step its playoff drive in Pool A with a 2-1 slate as 3B Marikina City evened its record in Pool C at 2-2 with a 25-11, 25-15, 25-15 win over Angatleta-Orion Bataan.
Iloilo D’Navigators, meanwhile, trounced Tacloban City-EV, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16, to stay unbeaten in Pool D at 2-0 for a tie with idle University of Santo Tomas.
Only the top two teams from the 16-team women’s and 20-team men’s division will advance in the knockout quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup, formerly known as the Champions League, serving as the penultimate tourney this season of the PNVF headed by Ramon “Tats” Suzara.
