Two years of rebuilding finally paid off for Cignal, resulting in a breakthrough 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Finals appearance.
Along with the gradual but sustained improvement of the Super Spikers is the steady rise of Vanie Gandler into a vocal and strong leader, on top of stepping up as the main gunner for the title-hungry franchise.
Once a pleasant surprise to fans for her improved game, Gandler has grown into a vital cog for Cignal on both ends — serving as the go-to attacker when the odds are stacked against the Super Spikers.
Her presence and production anchored Cignal’s entry to the biggest stage following a 25-13, 13-25, 25-16, 25-16 win over Creamline in the round-robin semifinals last Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Ateneo de Manila University product tallied 24 points, 10 digs, and 10 excellent receptions, holding her own against a powerhouse squad filled with seasoned outside hitters.
Gandler’s triple-double performance in Cignal’s finals-clinching game earned her the nod as the last PVL Press Corps Player of the Week presented by Pilipinas Live for this conference.
The high-scoring hitter credits her growth to the trust and patience given to her by the Super Spikers.
“We can’t explain how deep this is for us, kasi we know how hard we worked for this. I just have so much gratefulness for the team, kasi the player I am today is because of them,” Gandler shared.
“The way the team is performing is because we just want the best for each other. It’s really not for ourselves, it’s for each other.”
Although their semis-ending game against PLDT resulted in a loss, with Gandler barely seeing action to rest and scoring only one point in a no-bearing match, Cignal used the opportunity to give its bench live game exposure heading into the best-of-three championship against Creamline.
“Our focus isn’t that we go to the championship. Our focus is that we train like champions every day. So that’s what we do. We ask God for a championship. He’s gonna give us challenges, but we need to play like we’re champions,” Gandler shared.
“It means the world because I see the qualities of a champion in each one of them. And it’s made me a better person and player.”
Gandler was the unanimous choice for the award, as decided by print and online sportswriters covering the beat, edging out Creamline’s Bernadeth Pons, Farm Fresh’s Trisha Tubu, and PLDT’s Savi Davison.
Game 1 of the finals is on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The PVL title series will be streamed live and on demand via the Pilipinas Live app and on pvl.ph.
