After missing the finals for the first time in seven years, Cignal salvaged third place, edging Savouge Aesthetics, 25-18, 17-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12, in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Saturday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Wendel Miguel proved to be a reliable leader and scorer, leading the comeback from a 1-2 deficit with 20 points, as Vince Maglinao and Steven Rotter provided the spark off the bench with 12 points each. Maglinao broke an 11-11 tie in the fifth set before Rotter nailed an ace for the match point, 14-11. Maglinao drilled the game-winning hit after a successful video challenge.
‘For the past seven years, we’ve always been in the Finals. Still, this one feels special because our national team players weren’t here, but we managed to push through and still finish on the podium. Bronze is bronze,’ said Cignal coach Dexter Clamor in Filipino.
‘I’m proud of what we accomplished despite all the struggles in this conference-injuries, missing players-but the team still gave their best. I’m especially proud of our captains, JP (Bugaoan) and Wendel, who really held the team together and kept us focused on what we needed to do to succeed.’
Brothers JP and Martin Bugaoan had 10 points each, combining for eight of Cignal’s 16 kill blocks, while Kris Silang tossed 21 excellent sets.
After missing the title round with a 3-2 record in the semifinal round, Clamor will use this bronze as inspiration to bounce back next year. ‘We’re going to remember the pain of not making the Finals. It was tough, we thought we could manage even without our national team players, but it showed how much the key players contribute,’ said Clamor, who lent Owa Retamar, Vince Lorenzo, Louie Ramirez and Lloyd Josafat to Alas Pilipinas.
‘We’ll use that experience to be better next time if we face the same situation. I’m hopeful that at the next conference, everyone will be available, so we can be more confident. The competition is tougher now, so we’ll keep working hard to bring the championship back next year.’
Savouge, which won bronze in the past two conferences, ended the conference with three straight losses despite Mark Calado’s 24-point effort.
Shawie Caritativo had 19 points and 28 excellent receptions. Sanama added 18 points, while JC Enarciso dished out 31 excellent sets.