Cignal wastes no time in making bold statement: Championship or bust

Cignal HD Spikers in the PVL All-Filipino Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Cignal made its goal clear as early as its first win: The HD Spikers want nothing short of a Premier Volleyball League crown.

“To be honest, we are targeting a championship,” coach Shaq delos Santos said in Filipino after Cignal fought back for a hard-fought victory against Akari.

And that 21-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-18 victory against the Chargers on Saturday at Smart-Araneta Coliseum is a testament to just how much the HD Spikers want to end that title drought.

Delos Santos believes they now have what they need to do just that.

SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024

“Especially having Dawn [Macandili-Catindig] and Jovelyn Fernandez, they have made such a huge impact as you can see from our performance today especially with our floor defense,” Delos Santos added.

“We are working so hard for this everyday, but even though the performance is improving, it’ll be good to have it much better. That’s the target,” he added.

Cignal has not tasted a PVL crown since it joined the league in 2021. The closest that the HD Spikers have come is a silver-finish in the Reinforced Conference in 2022, in between a list of third-place finishes.

During the offseason, libero Catindig and young spiker Fernandez signed up with Cignal after the disbandment of F2 Logistics. The two will try to be the catalysts for the HD Spikers to finally have a breakthrough title.

Best libero

Catindig proved her worth her new team from as early as their PNVF Champions League silver finish where she was hailed as the best libero.

And she wants that to translate intto the real deal together with her whole squad, which includes young stalwart Vanie Gandler, Ces Molina and Jovelyn Gonzaga.

“I am happy with this new team and that I have a new family. I am very grateful and I am just taking it one day at a time,” Catindig said as Delos Santos also shared the same sentiment.

READ: PVL: Dawn Catindig praises Jovelyn Gonzaga’s leadership

“We are dealing with it one game at a time. We will give our best but of course it will all come from our preparations so we need to work for it until the end,” Delos Santos said. “That’s where we are always falling short.”

Gandler continues to be Cignal’s spark plug after finishing with 19 points while old reliable Rose Doria and Ces Molina chipped in 16 points apiece.

Meanwhile, Kung Fu Reyes is seeing his Chery Tiggo perform the way he wants them to as the Crossovers encountered little fight back from Strong Group, 25-12, 25-17, 25-19, and cruised to its second straight win.