Cignal regained its footing in the PVL Reinforced Conference, dispatching Akari, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20, Thursday night at FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Shaking off a straight-sets loss to Capital1 that cost it a Top 3 finish in the first round, the Super Spikers came out sharper and steadier, with locals stepping up to back import Katrin Trebichavska.
The victory evened Cignal’s carry-over record to 3-3, tying Akari at seventh as both teams fight to stay alive in the race for quarterfinal spots.
Erika Santos led the locals’ resurgence with 19 points, while Ishie Lalongisip rebounded from a quiet outing with 11. Trebichavska once again anchored Cignal’s attack with 25 points, nine digs and seven receptions.
Cignal broke away midway through the fourth set, turning a 10-all tie into a 15-11 lead. Akari trimmed the gap to 19-21 off Camille Victoria’s back-to-back aces, but Trebichavska answered with two clutch points before Lalongisip and Jackie Acuña sealed the win with key hits.
Roselyn Aquino chipped in 12 points, while Acuña and Gel Cayuna added seven and four, respectively.
Akari drew 22 points from Annie Mitchem and 13 from Fifi Sharma, while Grethcel Soltones and Eli Soyud combined for only 15 after solid showings in their previous match.