CIGNAL HD capped its remarkable sweep of group play with a 25-20, 20-25, 25-17, 25-19 victory over Army Black Mamba yesterday to head to the knockout phase of the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference with the momentum it perhaps never thought it would gain.
After stringing victories over teams rated higher than them in the pre-tournament run, the HD Spikers set out against the winless Lady Troopers as heavy favorites and the former played just well enough to get past their rivals and formalize their claim on the top seeding after the single round eliminations with a 4-0 card in Group A.
“We were so happy although we played below expectations,” said Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos, noting his wards’ shaky performance in the second frame. “But the good thing is we were able to survive and overcome (Army’s challenge) and we thank God for guiding us.”
Ria Meneses, scoring on quick plays and power tips, came away with a 15-point game while Rachel Ann Daquis, Ces Molina and Roselyn Doria backed her up with 13, 12 and 10 points, respectively, as the HD Spikers continued to improve on team chemistry heading to the next phase of the league’s second pro season organized by Sports Vision.
Delos Santos ruled out complacency as reason for his wards’ mediocre performance, particularly in the second set, saying: “It was probably more on the fatigue factor given the every-other-day schedule of games.”
“So, we really have to recover,” added delos Santos, whose wards will enjoy a twice-to-beat edge against Group B No. 4 BaliPure side at the start of the quarterfinal round on Sunday.
Army bowed out of the quarterfinals picture with a 0-4 mark, leaving F2 Logistics, Choco Mucho and Chery Tiggo as the other teams advancing to the next round along with Group B topnotcher Creamline, Petro Gazz, PLDT and BaliPure.
“For now, we want to relish what we have just achieved,” said delos Santos. “But there’s no reason for us to relax. We need to prepare really well, work hard and triple our effort because every game counts in the quarters.
Honey Royse Tubino fired 21 hits, including 18 attack points, but failed to draw solid backup from the rest with Audrey Paran and Mich Morente finishing with eight points apiece and Ivy Perez, Jeanette Villareal and Lutgarda Malauan combining for 20 points.
Te league is set to return home to the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan starting Monday after a near three-year absence due to the pandemic.
League commissioner Tony Boy Liao said the original plan was to mark the start of the playoffs back at the Filoil Arena on Sunday but they had to delay it due to the unavailability of the San Juan venue, which also served as a quarantine facility at the height of Covid cases in the NCR.
Fans will also be allowed to watch the games live but under strict safety and health protocols.
The last time the league held games at the Filoil Arena was on Nov. 9, 2019 that featured Game 3 of the Reinforced Conference finals. Creamline swept Petro Gazz, 2-0, to claim the title.
In its restart under the bubble setup last July in Ilocos Norte, Chery Tiggo beat Creamline for the inaugural Open Conference pro crown last year. The country’s premier volley league organized by Sports Vision marked its return to the NCR for the 2022 Open Conference at the Paco Arena.
