Cignal went into Game 1 of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Finals against F2 Logistics on Saturday as the underdogs.
Not taking anything away from the Cargo Movers, but their foes were simply fatigued from two five-set marathons they needed to win to get this far, with the HD Spikers having just one day to prepare against their powerhouse foes.
The Cargo Movers, meanwhile, had three days in between their semis victory against Foton and the start of the championship series.
It told in another five-set classic which the Cargo Movers won, 25-22, 26-24, 18-25, 17-25, 15-8. But despite that, Cignal leaders Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga were impressed with how they fought despite the odds.
“It was a good and close fight. We had just one day of preparation and for us that’s not enough,” Daquis said in Filipino on Saturday. “We were able to push the match to five sets. We didn’t win but the lessons that we learned today we will bring to Game 2.”
Gonzaga, who also played in another five-set match with Pacifictown-Army in the Premier Volleyball League in the middle of the PSL semifinals, added that Game 2 would be different since they will have an extra day’s rest before practicing for Tuesday’s match.
“We have rest now because what happened is the games were continuous but that’s not an excuse for us,” said Gonzaga. “We had lapses so we’ll look at them on Monday.”
Gonzaga finished with 12 points, while Daquis, the team captain who is a candidate for one of the Best Outside Spikers award, was limited to six points due to nagging pain in her legs.
Daquis didn’t play in the third and fourth sets, the frames the HD Spikers won, and came in as a substitute in the fifth.
Holding the fort for Daquis was opposite spiker Mylene Paat, who had nine points in the last three sets. But playing the same position as Gonzaga brought a different problem to Cignal in the fifth set.
F2 took an early 3-0 lead in the final frame and that was enough cushion for the Cargo Movers to claim the match.