Cignal secures 2nd s’final berth

CIGNAL snared the second automatic semifinal slot while erstwhile leader Cagayan Valley dropped to fourth spot in a surprising turn of events at the close of the Philippine Super Liga women’s volleyball tournament eliminations Wednesday night at Philsports Arena.

With Petron Blaze downing Cagayan Valley, 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19, late Sunday, Cignal, Petron and Cagayan finished with similar 3-2 records behind the 4-1 record of TMS-Philippine Army, which clinched the first semifinal berth.

Cignal eventually ranked second based on the most number of sets won followed by Petron and Cagayan.

Now after a hot 3-0 start, the Lady Rising Suns will tangle with the PLDT MyDSL Speed Boosters with Petron clashing with Bingo Milyonaryo in knockout duels for the two other semifinal slots this Sunday.

“It goes to show how balanced the teams are,” said PSL officer Ariel Paredes of the league’s kickoff conference. Organizers expect more clubs to join when it opens regular season in September.

Cignal, starring Venus Bernal, Honey Royse Tubino and Michelle Datuin, finished with two victories even as Cagayan dropped its last two games.

The Lady Troopers capped their elimination run with a 25-29, 25-15, 25-11 win over Bingo Milyonaryo Wednesday.