Reigning champion Cignal wrapped up its elimination round campaign in style.
The HD Spikers overcame a third-set scare to eliminate Alpha Insurance in four sets, 25-19, 25-20, 19-25, 25-20, in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
They closed the eliminations with back-to-back victories, advancing to the round-robin semifinals as the second seed with an impressive 8-2 record in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Cignal’s win also secured VNS-Laticrete's place in the playoffs as the fourth and final seed. VNS-Laticrete is set to face Savouge later in the day, with the semifinals scheduled to begin this Sunday.
With most of their starters on minute restrictions, Vince Abrot and Martin Bugaoan stepped up to provide the much-needed firepower to fend off Alpha Insurance.
Abrot led the charge with a game-high 15 points, tallying eight attacks, four kill blocks, and three service aces. He also contributed 10 excellent receptions and six excellent digs. Bugaoan added 12 points, including five of the team’s 15 total blocks, in the one-hour and 40-minute contest.
"At least we’ve seen that we still have some ammo heading into the semifinals,” said Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor, referring to second-stringers Abrot and Bugaoan.
“We can still deploy some players who can help us. If you’ll notice, I didn’t field our first six because we’ll have intense training starting yesterday until Sunday.”
Despite a strong fightback in the third set — led by the younger Bugaoan, who scored six points in an 8-1 run that turned a 10-16 deficit into an 18-17 lead — the HD Spikers failed to close it out in straight sets.
JM Apolinario, Edward Camposano, and Vincent Nadera countered with an 8-1 finishing kick of their own, forcing a fourth set.
Cignal responded by surging to a 7-2 start in the fourth frame and thwarting every comeback attempt by Alpha Insurance to secure their eighth win in the elimination round. The tournament is supported by ArenaPlus and Mikasa.
JM Ronquillo tallied 11 points, while Louie Ramirez added 10 points along with 11 excellent receptions to round out Cignal’s double-digit performers.
The semifinals are set to kick off on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
On the other hand, the Protectors, who had a slim chance of making the semifinals heading into the match, finished their maiden campaign with a 2-8 record.