Cignal faced an early challenge from a determined PGJC Navy side but quickly recovered to reassert its dominance, clinching a 19-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-17 victory in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila on Sunday.
The defending champions rallied behind Jau Umandal’s 18-point performance to keep their unbeaten record intact. However, the HD Spikers struggled to find their rhythm in the opening set, committing 14 errors – an issue that head coach Dexter Clamor hopes to address as they prepare for their highly anticipated rematch against the Criss Cross King Crunchers at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan on Wednesday.
It was the first time Cignal had dropped a set in the tournament after sweeping the Alpha Insurance Protectors, the Savouge Spin Doctors, and the VNS Griffins. Clamor acknowledged that his team’s tendency to relax has been a recurring concern, emphasizing the need for sharper focus and intensity against the equally formidable King Crunchers.
The HD Spikers, however, bounced back to dominate the last three sets, fending off the Sealions to temporarily claim the top spot with a 4-0 record in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Cignal sealed the victory with a decisive surge late in the fourth set, unleashing a blistering 6-0 run, spearheaded by Umandal, to extend a 16-12 lead to a commanding 22-12 advantage. The HD Spikers never looked back and closed out the match after an hour and 43 minutes of play.
"They weren’t focused in the first set. They were too complacent. Even during warm-ups, they were doing things they weren’t supposed to, so I had to call them out right away," said Clamor in Filipino.
"You could see it in their performance in the first set. We committed 14 unforced errors—that’s simply unacceptable. That’s something I will definitely address with them later," he added.
The HD Spikers finished the match with a total of 35 errors.
Umandal delivered all but one of his points on attacks and tallied nine excellent receptions. Steven Rotter, despite sitting out the fourth set, backed him up with 15 points.
Wendel Miguel also came through with 13 points and six excellent digs, while JM Ronquillo and Martin Bugaoan contributed nine and eight points, respectively.
With the victory, Cignal is now on the brink of sweeping the first round of the tournament, which is also backed by Arena Plus and Mikasa.
Owa Retamar orchestrated the team’s plays with 19 excellent sets in just three sets played, while Vince Lorenzo registered 15 excellent digs.
Meanwhile, Navy remains in fourth place with a 1-3 win-loss record.
John Ashley Jacob led the Sealions, who continue to miss their top spiker Joeven Dela Vega, with 13 points on nine attacks and three blocks. Peter Quiel and Greg Dolor each contributed 10 markers.
