Cignal storms back, secures PVL bronze

Cignal staged a remarkable comeback late in the fourth set to claim a 20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 victory over PLDT and clinch the bronze medal in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on a rainy Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Staring at the possibility of a fifth set that could drastically change the complexion of the match, the HD Spikers rallied from a 14-19 deficit behind the stellar efforts of MJ Perez, Ces Molina and Gel Cayuna, with the entire team providing crucial support, particularly at the net, where they managed to stymie several attacks by PLDT’s Elena Samoilenko.

Cignal’s fortunes also turned on a successful referee challenge that reversed an initial call, narrowing the gap to 22-23 instead of allowing PLDT to gain a 24-21 advantage.

Seizing the momentum, Perez then delivered the final three points, the first to tie the game after a series of crucial blocks on Samoilenko’s kill attempts.

In the decisive play, Perez executed a kill block against Samoilenko, bringing Cignal to match point. The HD Spikers maintained their lead as Perez notched her 26th point with a decisive hit that PLDT libero Kath Arado could not dig, capping off a thrilling finish.

“Mixed emotions,” said Cayuna, trying to gather her thoughts after the grueling two-hour, seven-minute match that came after Kurashiki of Japan’s 25-20, 25-18, 23-25, 25-21 win over Est Cola of Thailand in the opener of the Invitational Conference.

“We were nervous because PLDT is a strong team. But no matter what the calls were, we gave it our all, and we’re proud of this third-place finish. It still means a lot.”

Cayuna, who was named the best player of the game with 16 excellent sets and eight points, led Cignal to its fifth bronze medal in the league.

Perez, who came out of retirement to spearhead Cignal’s campaign in this mid-season conference organized by Sports Vision, added 11 excellent receptions and nine digs to her offensive output in a superb all-around performance.

“I’m so grateful and thankful to the Lord for this win,” Perez said.

“We’ve been fighting so hard this conference, and we deserve this. I’m so, so happy.”

Molina added 20 points, while Chai Troncoso impressed with 10 points. Jackie Acuña and Riri Meneses contributed eight and five points, respectively, for Cignal, which yielded to Creamline in a thrilling five-set clash in the semis.

Despite leading all scorers with 35 points, Samoilenko’s performance waned in the closing moments, leading to multiple blocked attempts.

Fiola Ceballos added 11 points, while Erika Santos and Majoy Baron chipped in six points each for PLDT, which also dropped a five-setter to Akari in the Final Four.

The High Speed Hitters finished in fourth place for the third time since joining the league in 2021.