Cignal, F2 score wins to rank 6th with Akari

Cignal emerged victorious in an intense face-off against Galeries Tower, reclaiming their footing with a solo sixth in the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference. The showdown, which transpired at the Philsports Arena on Tuesday night, saw Cignal managing a 25-17 25-17 24-26 25-11 victory despite an intense third-set upset from Galeries.

Having been on the verge of sweeping the winless Highrisers, Cignal faltered in the home stretch when Gel Cayuna evened the score at 24-all. This tie situation led to a two-point run by Ysa Jimenez, taking the spectators by surprise and prolonging the match.

Cignal, undeterred by this stumble, regrouped and dominated their fourth set, taking an 18-7 lead. Despite a 4-1 surge by the Highrisers’ Roma Joy Doromal and Raprap Aguilar, Cignal remained unshakeable, finishing the set with a strong 6-0 run.

“Credits to Galeries for their excellent performance, especially in the third set. Their service was consistent, a key factor in the game,” expressed Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos. Cignal’s victory halts their previous two consecutive losses, improving their standing to 4-2 mid-point in the elimination round of the season-ending conference.

Spearheading the charge for Cignal was Ces Molina, who amassed 17 points, 16 successful digs and 11 excellent receptions. Vanie Gandler contributed strikingly, with 14 points derived entirely from attacks in this game that stretched over an hour and a half.

In the other game, F2 won a thrilling five-setter against Farm Fresh, which ended with a 28-26, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-8. The decider in the game turned out to be a one-on-one duel between F2’s Ivy Lacsina and Farm Fresh’s Trisha Tubu. Despite Tubu’s impressive performance for Farm Fresh, Lacsina dominated with several crucial kill blocks and hits that quickly put F2 at a 4-0 and, later, a 5-1 lead.

Even as Tubu mounted a comeback, reducing the lead to 3-6, Lacsina maintained her dominant form, scoring an ace and a kill that simply couldn’t be countered. Providing further solidifying F2’s performance, rookie Jolina Dela Cruz matched Lacsina’s output, driving the team towards their third win in five games.

Despite being without several key players, F2 managed to deliver a stunning performance thanks to Lacsina and Dela Cruz, whose combined astonishing 54-point showing more than made up for the absence of their teammates.

Head coach Regine Diego of F2 highlighted the team’s learning process and the guidance still needed but agreed wholeheartedly – a win is a win.