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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Volleyball devider Rebuilt and recharged: Cignal's journey bears fruit as it eyes breakthrough PVL title

Rebuilt and recharged: Cignal's journey bears fruit as it eyes breakthrough PVL title

Published Apr 16, 2026 01:50 pm

At A Glance

  • But the job is far from finished. While the Super Spikers have already showcased their resilience and growth, they are now setting their sights on a long-awaited breakthrough title.
Cignal's journey is far from over. (PVL Images)
Cignal's journey is far from over. (PVL Images)
Two years into its rebuilding stage, Cignal has returned to familiar territory after securing a finals berth in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
But the job is far from finished. While the Super Spikers have already showcased their resilience and growth, they are now setting their sights on a long-awaited breakthrough title.
“It’s hard for us to answer kasi parang, we can’t explain how deep this is for us,” said Vanie Gandler, who has been instrumental in Cignal’s run including in their 25-13, 13-25, 25-16, 25-16 victory over fancied Creamline a few days back that sealed their spot in the championship round.
“Kasi we know how hard we worked for this. I just have so much gratitude for the team kasi we just want the best for each other,” added the feisty spiker, who erupted for 24 points in that match.
The road to this stage has been far from easy, marked by adjustments and transitions that proved challenging to navigate. After a runner-up finish in the 2024 Invitational, the team saw the departure of several core players, forcing them to rebuild and reinvent around a refreshed lineup.
They failed to replicate that finals run in the following conference, slipping to ninth place in the 2024-25 All-Filipino before briefly bouncing back with a fourth-place finish in the PVL On Tour.
They failed to sustain that semis run in the next two conferences, though, finishing fifth in the Invitational, and seventh in the Reinforced.
But the Super Spikers have shown that patience and perseverance can go a long way, and those efforts are now starting to pay off.
“Sobrang dami ng sakit na naramdaman namin, siguro for how many years and conferences talagang hindi kami nainip. Tinanggap lang namin yung mga bagay na kailangan nating matanggap and sobrang natuto kami dun,” said Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos.
“Good thing kasi di kami nag-give up and yeah, sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam na papasok kami sa finals,” he added.
With Vanie Gandler, Erika Santos, Roselyn Doria, Tin Tiamzon, and Gel Cayuna forming the core, Cignal now awaits its finals opponent, as Creamline and Farm Fresh battle for the other berth at press time.
In the meantime, the Super Spikers aim to sustain their momentum as they take on PLDT, also as of press time.

Related Tags

Cignal Super Spikers PVL All Filipino Conference Vanie Gandler
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