Cayuna lives up to promise
GEL Cayuna’s steady playmaking and veteran leadership helps Cignal make a return to the semifinals of the PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Photograph courtesy of PVL
GEL Cayuna’s steady playmaking and veteran leadership helps Cignal make a return to the semifinals of the PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Photograph courtesy of PVL
Cignal is confident it’s heading in the right direction with ace playmaker Gel Cayuna manning the wheel.
The veteran setter stepped up when the Super Spikers needed her the most, anchoring their return to the semifinals in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference.
Cayuna stayed true to her promise of delivering more than 30 excellent sets and double-digit scoring, accomplishing the feat against no less than powerhouse Creamline and its celebrated setter Jia Morado-De Guzman in a thrilling five-set marathon win in the qualifying round.
Behind Cayuna’s masterclass, the Super Spikers pulled off an epic triumph over the fancied Cool Smashers, 25-21, 24-26, 18-25, 25-22, 17-15, last Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Her eye-popping production of 34 excellent sets and 11 points not only steered Cignal to the round robin semis but also earned her the nod as the PVL Press Corps Player of the Week presented by Pilipinas Live honor for the period of 24 to 28 March.
“During training, Coach always asks us about our target points and excellent sets. So I always tell him around 30–plus sets and double-digit in scoring, I’m glad that I was able to accomplish that,” the 27-year-old four-time PVL Best Setter said.
The Far Eastern University product bested her teammates Santos and Gandler, PLDT's Savi Davison, MJ Phillips of Nxled, Akari's Ivy Lacsina, Galeries Tower's Jean Asis and Sisi Rondina of Choco Mucho for the weekly plum awarded by print and online reporters covering the league organized by Sports Vision.
Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos revealed after the hard-fought win that Cayuna and his players had set a standard for themselves as motivation to beat the 10-time champion Creamline and return to the semis after a two-conference absence.
“They made a commitment after I told them what our intention is. We know what we need to win and that’s what they promised during our huddles,” Delos Santos said.
Scoring payback to the same team that beat them in a five-setter at the close of the preliminary round also fueled the Super Spikers’ charge.
The battle-tested Cignal will have a couple of weeks to prepare before plunging into the Final Four starting 11 April at the Mall of Asia Arena.
