Cignal watched Capital1 import Marina Tushova put on a show and reset the Premier Volleyball League scoring record to 50 points.
Then the HD Spikers shut her down and the Solar Spikers in a grueling 25-19, 36-34, 16-25, 22-25, 15-12, victory in the knockout quarterfinal of the Reinforced Conference on Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
“I’m really proud of this team. They showed great effort right from training, they are going all out. Whenever I push them they acknowledge what they need to do,” Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos said.
“We got a great result so I’m thankful and happy,” added the mentor, who steered the squad to a runner-up finish in 2022.
The crowd was on its feet witnessing a slug-it-out affair between the No. 2 seed Cignal and an underdog bannered by a sweet-swinging Russian gunner for the right to advance in the sudden death semifinal against the winner between defending champion Petro Gazz and Creamline.
Playoffs experience and veteran composure spelled the difference for the battle-tested HD Spikers as they pulled through in the intense fifth set that saw them go down, 8-9, after Capital1 made a short run.
Venezuelan MJ Perez showed nerves of steel and remarkable endurance to spark a 5-1 rally capped by a Riri Meneses kill block on Tushova to put Cignal back on top, 13-10.
But the Solar Spikers, who have already overachieved by reaching the quarters after a one-win league debut in the All-Filipino Conference, made one last gutsy fightback with Tushova shattering her previous scoring record with a crosscourt hit.
Perez then committed an attack error but quickly took back a point with an offspeed for match point.
Sensing Capital1 to go once again to Tushova, Cignal was ready with its net defense with Jacq Acuna putting up a well-timed block to silence Solar Spikers reinforcement and end the two-hour, 49-minute tug-of-war.
Perez submitted a league personal-best 34 points with 33 coming off kills and had 15 excellent receptions to lead the HD Spikers, who hosted a block party with 16 kill blocks but none bigger than Acuna’s game-winner.
“I never think that we were gonna lose. My mind was always positive, I was thinking all the time and praying all the time that this is our game and I was telling the girls, keeping on talking to them the whole game this is ours, this is ours. Because we have been working so hard and fighting and we deserve it,” Perez said.
Meneses made her presence felt at the net with seven kill blocks to finish with a personal season-high 21 points while Ces Molina scattered 16 points and 14 excellent receptions for Cignal.
Gel Cayuna dished out 21 excellent sets for the HD Spikers, who had to gut it out in the extended second frame by coming back from a 22-24 deficit.
Tushova hammered down 47 attack points, two kill blocks and an ace while putting on a remarkable defensive effort of 16 excellent receptions and 12 digs.
Skipper Jorelle Singh had 12 points and Lourdes Clemente had seven for the Solar Spikers. Setter Iris Tolenada tallied 19 excellent sets and scored seven for Capital1.
