Early exit in PVL All-Filipino ‘wake up call’ for Cignal, says coach Shaq

Cignal Coach Shaq Delos Santos at the PVL All-Filipino Conference. – PVL PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines – After three consecutive semifinal matches were decided in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos admitted that this season’s competition has reached another level.

Cignal ended its disappointing campaign on a high as the trio of Chai Troncoso, Ces Molina, and Rachel Anne Daquis finished strong to defeat Army-Black Mamba without a win 29-27, 25-19, 25-16, on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.

For Delos Santos, the first conference was a wake-up call for the team, which finished sixth with a record of 3-5, but promised to help HD Spikers catch up and rise again in the next conference.

“Volleyball is different now. The level of competition has increased. You must always be ready and in the best condition,” said coach Cignal in Filipino. “All the teams in the semifinals now will surely play a good series. It’s good for PVL. Good luck to all.”

“We are in a hurry. I admit that we have to bring back a lot of things [from last season] and increase. We learned a lot. I accept this challenge. This is a wake-up call and a lesson for us,” he said.

The HD Spikers reached the podium three times last year including their Reinforced Conference Finals assignment, but Delos Santos admitted the team lacked drive in the All-Filipino conference.

“Our drive must always be at a high level. We lost that type of drive [we had last season]. We have a game that we’re doing okay and then all of a sudden we’re going to die. We need a strong foundation before the Invitation,” he said. “After Holy Week we will start preparing to build a strong foundation. We accept what we have done to start 2023 and this will inspire us to the Invitational.

Cignal released Angeli Araneta and five other players before the season and signed Chinchin Basas and Gyzelle Sy.

Delos Santos said he is open to signing additional players after the college league or free agents, who could help the team brought by Daquis, Molina, Ria Meneses, Rose Doria, and Gel Cayuna.

“We need people who can help the team. If there is an opportunity, we will look for additional players,” he said.

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