FILE – Marck Espejo. –SPIKERS TURF PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Marck Espejo kissed the Cignal HD Spikers goodbye after five years with the men’s volleyball club as he moved on to a Rebisco team, which will join the 2024 Spikers’ Turf season.
Espejo on Sunday took to Instagram to bid Cignal farewell as multiple sources confirmed to INQUIRER.net that the former Spikers’ Turf MVP will be part of the newest men’s volleyball club, Rebisco.
A source bared that Rebisco has decided to form a men’s team after its success in the Premier Volleyball League with seven-time champion Creamline and Choco Mucho capping the 2023 season with a record-setting gate attendance in the second All-Filipino Conference Finals Game 2 last December.
Another source said that Espejo will be joined by Chumason Njigha, who announced that he parted ways with Cignal last week, and Ysay Marasigan and Manuel Sumanguid as well as other Ateneo standouts in the new Spikers’ Turf team.
Marck Espejo. –Spikers’ Turf PHOTO
Espejo, who is currently playing for defending champion Incheon Korean Air Jumbos in South Korea, expressed his gratitude to Cignal, which has been his home for the past five years, winning three championships.
“More than 5 years with this AWESOME team. I’m so grateful for all the love and support. Thank you Cignal HD Spikers and Awesome nation for being part of my journey. Still your kapatid outside the court! Mahal ko kayo,” wrote the former five-time UAAP MVP out of Ateneo.
Espejo led the HD Spikers to a perfect 2023 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference campaign last year and emerged as the Finals MVP before being drafted in Korea.
He also steered Cignal to a Philippine Nationa Volleyball Federation Champions League title in 2022 before settling for a runner-up finish without him last year.
The 26-year-old outside has emerged as the most decorated men’s volleyball player as he was part of the Philippine men’s volleyball team’s historic silver medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and played in different countries in Japan with Oita Miyoshi in the 2018-2019 V.League and for FC Tokyo in 2021.
He also saw action in Thailand with Visakha in 2020 and Bani Jamra in Bahrain three years ago.
Cignal played without Espejo in the Invitational Conference but failed to sweep the tournament after losing to Sta. Elena-National University in the winner-take-all final.