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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Volleyball devider Santos, Gandler propel Cignal over Choco Mucho for solo PVL lead

Santos, Gandler propel Cignal over Choco Mucho for solo PVL lead

Published Feb 5, 2026 09:10 pm

At A Glance

  • Santos paced Super Spikers with 18 points built on 14 kills, while Gandler delivered 16 points on 15 attacks to help the squad improve to a 2-0 record in the early stretch of the conference.
Vanie Gandler scores 16 points for Cignal. (PVL Images)
Vanie Gandler scores 16 points for Cignal. (PVL Images)
By CHRISTAN SALVAÑA
Intern
Reigning PVL On Tour MVP Erika Santos and Vanie Gandler took charge as Cignal grounded Choco Mucho, 25-20, 16-25, 25-19, 25-18, to seize the solo lead in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Centre in San Juan City on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Santos paced Super Spikers with 18 points built on 14 kills, while Gandler delivered 16 points on 15 attacks to help the squad improve to a 2-0 record in the early stretch of the conference.
Cignal head coach Shaq Delos Santos lauded his team’s adjustments after weathering multiple runs from the Flying Titans.
“Grabe ’yung adjustments na ginawa namin before this game, and ayun, laging sinasabi ni Erika na ‘work hard’ talaga, para mas mag-step up at hindi makuntento sa kung ano ’yung meron kami,” said Delos Santos.
Santos and Gandler echoed the coach’s sentiments after holding firm against Choco Mucho’s rallies.
“Nag-focus lang kami kung ano ’yung nasa control namin, and privilege sa’min na makalaban ’yung mga nasa national team. So naging composed kami and nag-focus kung ano ’yung strengths ng team,” said Santos.
“It feels really good. We worked really hard, and I’m just happy that everything we trained for is showing in the games,” Gandler added.
Cignal maintained a good lead in the opening set despite several attempts by Sisi Rondina to spark the Flying Titans’ offense.
Choco Mucho answered back with a dominant 25-16 win in the second frame, but failed to sustain the momentum as the Super Spikers capitalized on their errors in the third and fourth sets.
Rondina led Choco Mucho with 20 points, while Lorraine Pecana and Eya Laure chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.
Cignal will look to tighten its grip on the No. 1 spot as it faces the Farm Fresh on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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