PLDT, Cignal adds to woes of slumping squads

Ces Molina (left) shouldered the scoring load for PLDT.
—AUGUST DELA CRUZ

PLDT and Cignal continued to hum smoothly in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, dispatching their winless foes on Saturday at PhilSports Arena.

One of them had things easier than the other.

PLDT made sure it kicked into overdrive right away and obliterated Gerflor 25-8, 25-9, 25-17, cruising to a four-game winning streak behind Jules Samonte, who collected 10 points on seven attacks and three aces. Rachel Austero also had 10 including three blocks.

“We kept the lesson we learned from our last game against Nxled where we had a slow start,” PLDT coach Rald Ricafort said on the heels of his squad’s fourth win in five games. “At least we got back today. We had good service so it made our counter attacking easier.”

Cignal found things a bit tougher in the other game, needing a powerful performance from Ces Molina to survive a gritty Farm Fresh stand, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17.

Molina finished with 20 points built on 18 attacks and two blocks to lift the HD Spikers to a 3-2 (win-loss) record while extending the Foxies woes to an 11-game losing streak since joining the league in the previous Invitational Conference.

Without Daquis

“We are happy with the result, but we still have a lot to work on. The good thing is that we overcame the challenges,” Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos said in Filipino. “We will continue [the winning momentum] and work harder for the next games.”Cignal, still without Rachel Daquis, also found help from Marivic Meneses’ 16 points on 13 attacks, two blocks and an ace. Vanie Gandler and Jovelyn Gonzaga also combined for 27 points to keep the Foxies winless.

“We are not getting complacent with the way we played today because we know that we can do better,” Molina said. “We need to work harder and what we are showing is still lacking.

PLDT, which is coming off a win against Nxled on Thursday, had a 13-5 attack advantage in the second set alone while also adding six aces.

PLDT only allowed 17 points in the first two sets before Gerflor tried to make a game of it in the third, moving to within 19-15.

But the High Speed Hitters regrouped and shoved a tenth consecutive loss—also dating back to the last conference—down the Defenders’ throat. INQ