HD Spikers win third straight

Cignal brushed off a third-set meltdown before finishing off Capital1, 25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-13, to remain unbeaten in Pool B of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference Saturday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Venezuelan MJ Perez displayed another stellar performance to tow the HD Spikers to their third straight win in as many outings for a tighter grip on the lead.

Perez pounded 20 kills in her 23-point showcase as Cignal scuttled the Solar Spikers in an hour and 58 minutes of another superb all-around game.

However, it wasn’t just her offensive prowess that shone as the talented reinforcement also excelled defensively, recording 12 excellent digs and 15 receptions.

“We have to keep on working day-by-day and stay focused,” said Perez, who aims to steer the HD Spikers to the championship in the mid-season conference.

Perez received significant support from Ces Molina and Jackie Acuña, who each delivered 12 points. Chin Basas chipped in nine markers, while Riri Meneses, Gel Cayuna and Roselyn Doria combined for 13 for Cignal, which got 29 points off Capital1’s errors.

With a 3-0 record, the 2022 edition runners-up HD Spikers seized the solo lead in Pool B, positioning themselves well for the next pool round. The top three teams will compete against the lower three in Pool A for spots in the quarterfinals.

Capital1, which previously shocked two-time champion Petro Gazz, fell to 1-2.

“We’re happy to win again. It was a tough game. Capital1 is a fighting team, but we also fought hard and won,” Perez added.

Despite a strong comeback from Capital1 in the third set, where they rallied from a 17-21 deficit to win 25-23, the HD Spikers quickly regained their composure. They took firm control of the match early in the fourth set, racing to double-digit leads and stayed in control the rest of the way.

Russian Marina Tushova led the Power Spikers with 28 points but lacked support from her teammates. Only Des Clemente reached double digits with 10 points, while Leila Cruz and Norielle Ipac struggled, adding six and five points, respectively.