Facing elimination, Cignal summoned all the courage and composure forged from its string of championship runs and dealt erstwhile unbeaten Kindai University its first defeat, 25-20, 25-21, 24-26, 25-18, to revive its semifinal hopes in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Montalban.

Just one loss away from kissing their four-peat bid goodbye, the Super Spikers responded with an inspired performance — redeeming themselves from a painful setback to the surging Savouge Spin Doctors on Monday and halting the Japanese squad’s three-game run.

Cignal improved to 2-2, still at No. 4, but very much back in contention.

“I told them that we have no idea what will happen to us. The most important thing is to win the game and God will do the rest,” Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor said.

Still, Cignal’s fate is no longer fully in its control. The Super Spikers must sweep winless ProVolley Academy of Australia on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre to keep their championship bid alive.

The Super Spikers nearly pulled off a sweep in the extended third set but refused to let the missed opportunity derail them. They roared out in the fourth, building a commanding 19-10 lead before cruising to a hard-earned, one-hour and 44-minute victory.

Cignal’s dominant net defense proved decisive. The team tallied 15 blocks, nearly doubling Kindai University’s eight, and repeatedly warding off the Japanese side’s attempts to rally.

Rookie Jay Rack de la Noche delivered his finest game yet, firing 22 points on 19 attacks and three blocks to breathe life back into Cignal’s fading finals hopes.