Cignal crushes Foton, bolsters semis bid
Published Jul 11, 2023 06:22 am
Cignal banked on its solid offense as it crushed Foton, 25-10, 25-16, 25-22, to bolster its semifinal bid in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Tuesday, July 11.
The HD Spikers drew strength from Ces Molina and Jovelyn Gonzaga with their hard-hitting attacks as the duo combined for 28 kills to finish with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The victory hiked Cignal’s win-loss tally to 2-1 and tied with Petro Gazz in Group B behind Choco Mucho and F2 Logistics, who are battling at press time in their bid to preserve their respective 2-0 cards. Foton, meanwhile, plummeted deeper in the cellar with its third consecutive loss to kiss its semis campaign goodbye along with Farm Fresh, which earlier bowed to Petro Gazz, 25-21, 31-29, 25-17. While Molina and Gonzaga spearheaded the HD Spikers’ offense, it was setter Gel Cayuna who orchestrated variety of plays for their attacks and wound up with 22 excellent sets. Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos admitted the 10-day respite after the league gave way to the country’s hosting of the recent Volleyball Nations League (VNL) contributed to their performance. “Malaking bagay yung nakapahinga kami at nagkaroon ng time para mag-training para ma-improve yung mga kailangan naming i-improve, said Delos Santos. Skipper Rachel Anne Daquis also contributed to Cignal’s win by unloading 10 points, while Riri Meneses and Vannie Gandler conspired for 13 points including the last back-to-back attacks that sealed their triumph. So unstoppable was Cignal’s offense that it fired 56 kills compared to Foton’s only 26. The Tornadoes also managed only seven excellent sets out of 115 attempts. Shaya Adorador was the lone double-digit scorer for the Tornadoes with 13 points, but attack errors in the crucial parts of the 72-minute match did not help.
*Cignal's Ces Molina, right, scores against Foton's Jasmine Nabor during their PVL Invitational Conference Tuesday. (PVL Images)
*The HD Spikers drew strength from Ces Molina and Jovelyn Gonzaga with their hard-hitting attacks as the duo combined for 28 kills to finish with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The victory hiked Cignal’s win-loss tally to 2-1 and tied with Petro Gazz in Group B behind Choco Mucho and F2 Logistics, who are battling at press time in their bid to preserve their respective 2-0 cards. Foton, meanwhile, plummeted deeper in the cellar with its third consecutive loss to kiss its semis campaign goodbye along with Farm Fresh, which earlier bowed to Petro Gazz, 25-21, 31-29, 25-17. While Molina and Gonzaga spearheaded the HD Spikers’ offense, it was setter Gel Cayuna who orchestrated variety of plays for their attacks and wound up with 22 excellent sets. Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos admitted the 10-day respite after the league gave way to the country’s hosting of the recent Volleyball Nations League (VNL) contributed to their performance. “Malaking bagay yung nakapahinga kami at nagkaroon ng time para mag-training para ma-improve yung mga kailangan naming i-improve, said Delos Santos. Skipper Rachel Anne Daquis also contributed to Cignal’s win by unloading 10 points, while Riri Meneses and Vannie Gandler conspired for 13 points including the last back-to-back attacks that sealed their triumph. So unstoppable was Cignal’s offense that it fired 56 kills compared to Foton’s only 26. The Tornadoes also managed only seven excellent sets out of 115 attempts. Shaya Adorador was the lone double-digit scorer for the Tornadoes with 13 points, but attack errors in the crucial parts of the 72-minute match did not help.