Cignal licks wounds

Cignal is taking advantage of the short two-day break to rest and prepare before marching back into battle to salvage a podium finish in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference.

Falling short of making it to the gold medal match, the HD Spikers still have an opportunity to capture third place in the mid-season tournament after finishing the round robin semifinals with a 2—3 carryover win-loss record.

Cignal will take on F2 Logistics in the battle for third on Sunday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

It has been a tough couple of weeks for the HD Spikers playing consecutive matches with just a day or two of rest in between.

Cignal rebounded from back-to-back losses with a morale-boosting, 25-13, 25-15, 25-20, victory over Vietnamese club Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh last Thursday to secure the first battle for bronze seat for a chance to replicate its finish in last year's edition.

The victory halted the HD Spikers' slump to finalists defending champion Creamline and Japanese guest team Kurashiki Ablaze.

"To be honest, we really need to recover first. We, the coaches and players need to recover because we've been through a tough run for almost two weeks. That's what we need. Practice and focus," Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos said.

The mentor shared that he allowed his wards some time off Friday before hitting back to practice Saturday.

F2 Logistics defeated Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-20, yesterday to close its semis run with a 2-3 card tied with Cignal and PLDT.

The Cargo Movers, however, took the last third place showdown seat due to superior match points earned compared to the High Speed Hitters, 7-6.

"The team is ready and we just need recovery. We must have the mindset to prepare really well. This is the journey the Lord has given to us so we accept this challenge and wherever it takes us," Delos Santos said.

"We just have to prove to ourselves that everything we've been through is worth it."

Ces Molina, Jovelyn Gonzaga, Rachel Anne Daquis, Riri Meneses and setter Gel Cayuna lead the HD Spikers' charge for a good finish.