PVL: Cignal gets morale-boosting first win, sends Akari to 0-3

Cignal HD Spikers celebrate a point in the PVL All-Filipino conference. – PVL PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines–Cignal finally won its first All-Filipino Conference of the Premier Volleyball League after defeating Akari, 25-23, 25-20, 25-14, at the Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday.

HD Spikers snagged the much-needed morale boost after a slow 0-2 start in the conference, dominating the young Chargers team, which remains in search of the first victory in this conference.

“Certainly the first victory has a great spirit. The solution to our problem is really winning. We don’t have the ‘microwave’ mentality that everything is instant. There is no ‘instant.’ Everyone has to work hard,” said team captain Rachel Anne Daquis.

“We are doing well in training, just in our mindset of how we move on the field, the coach (Shaq Delos Santos) is feeding us all. This victory has a big impact on our team, it gives us high morale. The team is happy and everything people are happy,” he added in Filipino.

Akari Trisha Genesis committed a service error to put Cignal on match point, but Gen Casugod stopped the bleeding only for Ezra Madrigal to commit a service error of his own to give HD Spikers the victory for a 1-2 card.

A decisive 10-3 run, capped by a Rose Doria crosscourt kill, helped Cignal pull away in the final set for a 16-9 lead.

Gel Cayuna’s unsuccessful serve stopped the long winning rally but Rachel Anne Daquis quickly regained momentum with a sideline kill to pull within five unanswered points, 21-10.

Akari, who is still winless at 0-3, managed to hang tough with HD Spikers through most of the set, especially in the first close set.

But the Chargers couldn’t get enough to take the set, closing at 23-24 in the opener before Glaudine Troncoso sealed the set win for Cignal.

Daquis led all scorers for Cignal with 11 points on eight spikes and three blocks, while Doria followed with nine.

Dindin Santiago-Manabat also had 11 markers built in 10 spikes in a losing effort for the Power Chargers. Michelle Cobb made seven of 12 impressive sets in the loss.

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