PSL: Petron rips Cignal, reaches quarters

Petron formalized its entry to the quarterfinals after thrashing Cignal HD, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, last night in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball division at Cuneta Astrodome.

The Blaze Spikers posted their fourth win in six elimination matches and, more importantly, halted an alarming two-game losing streak going into the knockout stages.

Petron tackles PLDT TVolution on Sunday, while idle teams Air Asia and Cagayan Valley tangle in the other women’s quarterfinals.

It looked like Cignal, runner-up the past two conferences, would put up a big fight after taking the second set. But the HD Spikers failed to sustain their drive in the next two sets to bow out of the race with a 1-5 record.

Cignal also suffered another blow after Arriane Argarin collided with teammate Norie Jane Diaz in the fourth set. Argarin was carried out of the court in a stretcher and reportedly suffered a slipped disc.

Petron rookie Dindin Santiago led the team with 24 points, including 19 on attacks. She had four blocks and one service ace.