Cignal, without two of its anchors, played with more spunk and chemistry as it outwitted a reinforced PLDT side, hacking out a 25-16, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20 victory to join Nxled in the early lead in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference before a huge Sunday crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ces Molina, playing the skipper’s role for the first time, fronted the HD Spikers’ scorching fightback in the pivotal third then capped their four-point escape with an off-the-block hit and a drop ball. The seasoned campaigner finished with 20 points and helped stave off the High Speed Hitters’ own rally in the fourth, scoring the last two points on a power tip and a combo play.
“It was a team effort. I can’t do it by myself,” said Molina, who also came through with 11 excellent digs. “In the absence of Jovelyn (Gonzaga) and Rachel (Daquis), my teammates stepped up and I’m very proud as a team captain.”
Gonzaga skipped the match due to her military commitment while Daquis is still in the US for a coaching program.
But Molina and the rest of the HD Spikers, sixth placers in the first conference, also the All-Filipino, and third in the PVL Invitational, proved more than enough to overcome the High Speed Hitters as they bucked the 17-point output of Fil-Canadian Savannah Davison and Erica Santos, Honey Royse Tubino, Dell Palomata and Rhea Dimaculangan’s combined 32-point production.
Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos also drew superb games from Vanie Gandler, Jackie Acuña, Chin Chin Basas, Riri Meneses, Roselyn Doria and Chay Troncoso with playmaker Gel Cayuna orchestrating the team’s play with clockwork precision, finishing with 13 excellent sets.
PLDT also played without injured top hitter Mean Mendrez.
But the High Speed Hitters bounced back strong from a first set setback to draw level and looked headed to taking the swing set midway through. But the HD Spikers regrouped then unleashed a strong finishing kick to seize the lead and kept the momentum to build leads of as many as 16-10 and 20-14 in the fourth.
But the High Speed Hitters strung up five straight points aided by Molina and Gandlers’ attack errors that put the latter within at 19-20. Rhea Dimaculangan’s stint on the service line, however, ended with a costly miscue, giving the HD Spikers a two-point cushion they held to the finish.
Gandler and Basas matched 12-hit outputs while Acuna finished with eight markers and Troncoso, Meneses and Doria each scored five points. Cayuna added four points, the last a rare blast after getting foiled on her 1-2 play that firmed up Cignal’s lead in the fourth, 23-19.
Cignal unloaded 59 attack points against PLDT’s 48 and finished with six blocks and six aces, two more than the High Speed Hitters in both departments, giving the HD Spikers a big head-start in the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision and backed by Mikasa, BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, SMART, Rebisco, Milcu, Kumu, Asics and SportRadar.
