Rachel Anne Daquis (center) finishes with 12 points for Cignal. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
There’s something scary in the way Cignal played on Tuesday night, when the HD Spikers bundled out rock-solid Choco Mucho in straight sets to book the last semifinal ticket in Pool B play of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference at PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
The hyped tandem of veterans Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga played to its potential and keyed a 25-15, 25-21, 25-21 win over the outclassed Flying Titans as Cignal suddenly looks ready to slug it out with powerhouse Creamline, F2 Logistics and two foreign squads in the semifinals that starts on Thursday.
Gonzaga paced the HD Spikers with 13 points and Daquis had 12 as the duo time and again came up with the hits that Cignal needed to post the unexpected lopsided win carved out in just one-hour and 43 minutes that left the Flying Titans out of the playoffs for the fourth straight conference.
“It feels great because we are achieving our goal, one step at a time,” Gonzaga, recruited from the Army squad in the offseason, said in Filipino. ‘I’m thankful for my new journey with Cignal.” The Cargo Movers, meanwhile, thumped Foton, 25-18, 25-18, 25-14, for the first Pool B semis slot earlier.
Ivy Lacsina and Majoy Baron formed F2’s version of a 1-2 punch with 16 and 12 points, respectively, as the Cargo Movers bounced back from a stinging five-set loss to Petro Gazz the last time out to advance.
“We can’t be relaxed and we can’t be overconfident because, in the semis, it’s going to be hard battles again. Hopefully, this [win] is a good preparation for the semis,” said F2 Logistics coach Regine Diego, who steered the Cargo Movers to their second straight PVL semis appearance. INQ