Cignal HD Spikers in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference. –PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Cignal swept the elimination round for the fifth time after dominating Maverick, 25-20, 25-9, 25-12, in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Friday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The HD Spikers completed an eight-game sweep before heading to the semifinals, marking their fifth time to have a perfect record in the elims including the 2016, 2019 Open, and 2023 Open Conferences as well as last year’s Invitationals, where they lost the winner-take-all title match against the Sta. Elena-National University.
“This is a great motivation for us because we have a high momentum and morale going to the semis. But in the semis, everything is back to zero. This 8-0 will be useless if we won’t be able to perform,” Cignal coach Dexter Clamor said in Filipino.
READ: Spikers’ Turf: Cignal escapes VNS-Nasty to close in on sweep
Bryan Bagunas returned to action with 10 points in two sets played after missing Cignal’s last two games due to his commitments with WinStreak club in Taiwan.
Clamor, who banked on his second stringers in their hard-earned five-set win over VNS-Nasty two days ago, allowed the same group to make up for their previous lapses as Mark Calado led the way with 13 points.
Lloyd Josafat also played two sets and chipped in nine points, while Wendel Miguel, JP Bugaoan, and Alfred Valbuena added six points each.
“During our last game, our second six didn’t perform well. Today, I allowed them to bounce back and they were able to perform better than our last game,” said the Cignal coach.
The Maverick Hard Hitters dropped to a 1-6 record with Razzel Palisoc and Jerome Cordez carrying the team with eight and six points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Criss Cross eliminated Savouge Aesthetics, 25-15, 25-19, 31-33, 25-19, to finish second in the eliminations with a 7-1 record.
Criss Cross’ last elimination round win helped PGJC-Navy (5-2) and D’Navigators (5-2) complete the semifinals cast with defending champion Cignal.
“Bilog ang bola. I’m just really happy that the level of men’s volleyball is rising, that’s it,” said Criss Cross libero Manuel Sumanguid, who had 21 excellent receptions and nine digs.
Jude Garcia led the King Crunchers with 22 points built on 16 attacks, five blocks, and an ace on top of six digs. Chu Njigha had 12 points. Kim Malabunga provided 11 points including four blocks, while Pemie Bagalay added 10 points and 12 excellent receptions.
Norwel Sanama powered Savouge with 21 points. Sherwin Caritativo chipped in 14 points, nine receptions, and seven digs as the Spin Doctors finished fifth with an even 4-4 record in their second conference in the country’s premier men’s league.
Bryan Jaleco delivered 21 points and 13 excellent receptions to finish the Philippine Air Force’s campaign with a come-from-behind 29-27, 15-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-13 win over VNS-Nasty.
With Jaleco leading the collective effort, Westley Cajolo also stepped up for the Airmen with 18 points. Pol Salvador contributed 11 points and shone with 10 receptions, while Herald Domingo chipped in eight points including five kill blocks to end a six-game losing streak despite losing James Buytrago, who sustained a right-hand injury late in the fourth set after providing the much-needed spark for his team.
Buytrago received immediate first aid on the court and was promptly taken to the nearest medical facility for further treatment.
“I’m so happy for them because they were really down during our losing streak. We ended this tournament with a win, which will be important for our upcoming campaigns because our players are still young,” said Air Force deputy coach Jessie Lopez in Filipino after ending up with a 2-6 record tied with VNS.
The Griffins banked on Wewe Medina, who spearheaded the team with 24 points, 20 excellent receptions, and 12 digs. Roniey Adviento poured in 20 points, while Kenneth Culabat added 16 points and produced 11 receptions.