By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Erika Santos set the court ablaze as she powered Cignal past a gritty ZUS Coffee squad, 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 25-16, to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) On Tour at the City of Passi Arena in Iloilo on Sunday, July 10.
Playing in front of a packed crowd, the 5-foot-9 Santos delivered a career-high 30 points, built on 29 attacks, to lead the HD Spikers to their fourth win in five matches.
The victory was a much-needed morale boost for Cignal, which was coming off a four-set loss to the Chery Tiggo Crossovers the day before.
Santos admitted the team took their previous defeat to heart and used it as motivation to bounce back.
“Yung mga pagkukulang namin sa last game, ginawan naman namin ng paraan. Tuluy-tuloy lang kami para ma-improve namin yung laro namin,” said Santos, who also tallied eight excellent digs.
ZUS Coffee, fresh off a stunning five-set upset over powerhouse Creamline, showed resilience in the third set behind the aggressive play of Chinnie Arroyo. But the Thunderbelles couldn’t maintain momentum heading into the fourth.
By then, Santos had found strong support from Ishie Lalongisip and Jackie Acuña, who helped close the door on the Thunderbelles.
Lalongisip added 15 points, including 13 kills, while Acuña contributed 11 markers, highlighted by three blocks.
Despite Arroyo’s 20-point effort, ZUS Coffee dropped to 2-2 in the standings.
