By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Cignal played like a well-oiled machine and demolished a hapless Farm Fresh side, 25-10, 25-14, 25-15, to bolster its semifinal bid in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City Thursday, April 4.
The HD Spikers dominated for most parts of the match despite the persistent attempts of the Foxies early in the third set to hike their win-loss tally to 5-2 for a share of fourth place.
It was a vital win for Cignal heading into the crucial stretch of the preliminaries, where it will face powerhouse teams Chery Tiggo, Petro Gazz, PLDT and Creamline in the coming playdates.
Veteran Jovelyn Gonzaga fired 17 points built on 14 kills, two aces and one block to provide leadership for the HD Spikers, who somehow erased the memory of a stinging five-set loss to the Creamline Cool Smashers two weeks ago.
“We’re happy and thankful kasi yung pinaghirapan namin before and after the Holy Week break, na-apply namin nang maayos,” said Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos.
“Proud ako sa team ko kasi talagang committed sila sa game na to. Challenge lang sa amin kung paano namin ma-maintain yung ganitong laro,” he added.
Ces Molina also shone for Cignal with 11 points while Vanie Gandler pumped in all her 10 points on attacks.
Apart from outplaying Farm Fresh in attacks, 47-28, the HD Spikers also exposed the Foxies’ weak defense by posting 10 aces.