MANILA, Philippines—It was a long and arduous road for Cignal in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference and it ended with the team failing to get to the podium.
The HD Spikers lost to Generika-Ayala in straight sets, 25-12, 30-28, 25-13, in the bronze medal game Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena and it was an end to a journey filled with uncertainty.
Captain Rachel Ann Daquis said her team had the talent to compete but they ultimately lacked the time to prepare and contend for a championship.
It also didn’t help that superstar opposite hitter Jovelyn Gonzaga was injured and had to fulfill her military training throughout the campaign.
“It’s still a different feeling when the whole team is complete throughout the tournament but we’ve only been complete at the end,” said Daquis in Filipino.
The HD Spikers tacked a 5-3 overall record but were swept in straight sets in the semifinals against Petron.
And Cignal played all those games without the leadership and firepower of Gonzaga who was recovering from her injury while undergoing her mandatory military training with Phiippine Army.
Royse Tubino also missed time to complete her military training with Gonzaga.
“Coach (Edgar Barroga) told us that we had a better lineup as compared to what we had when we finished third in the Invitational Conference,” said Daquis, who had 10 points against the Lifesavers. “We just couldn’t convert in the end because we didn’t have that much time together.”