By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Cignal snapped ZUS Coffee’s impressive six-game winning streak with a gutsy 25-12, 26-24, 25-23 victory on Thursday, Nov. 13, to strengthen its quarterfinal bid in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Super Spikers pounced on the Thunderbelles’ sluggish start to dominate the game, even fending off ZUS Coffee’s repeated rallies on their way to their fourth win in seven outings.
It also marked Cignal’s second straight triumph following a four-set victory over Akari last week, while dealing ZUS Coffee its first loss in seven games.
Erika Santos, who powered the Super Spikers with 19 points on 13 attacks, three blocks and three aces, emphasized the team’s need to treat every match with the same level of seriousness as each win is vital in their Final 8 bid.
“Wala lang talagang atrasan. Yung mga remaining games namin, crucial for us, so kailangan magdoble ng effort,” said Santos.
Katrin Trebichavska also shined for Cignal with 13 points, 12 coming from attacks, while Gel Cayuna led a pivotal role in their offense by managing 21 excellent sets.
After a one-sided opening set where the Super Spikers tallied five of their nine total blocks, Cignal faced tougher resistance from ZUS Coffee as Anna DeBeer single-handedly attacked from all angles.
The Super Spikers, however, held their ground in the crucial moments to take the second frame and maintained their intensity to win the hotly-contested third set.
With the Super Spikers a 23-21 lead, DeBeer powered the Thunderbelles’ late push with back-to-back kills to level the score at 23-all.
But Santos responded decisively, first delivering a down-the-line spike before denying Chinnie Arroyo at the net to seal the win for Cignal.
Overall, the Super Spikers overpowered the Thunderbelles in attacks, 45-36; blocks, 9-1; and service aces, 7-2.
DeBeer fired 26 points in a losing cause for ZUS Coffee, with none from her teammates posting more than five points.
