Cignal faced a formidable challenge from Savouge Aesthetics but still pulled through with a 25-15, 27-25, 25-23 victory, stretching its win run to three in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the Philsports Arena Wednesday night.
Jau Umandal came up big for the HD Spikers anew, finishing with 23 points, all on attacks, and showcased his defensive skills, coming through with 10 excellent receptions to power the defending champions to victory for continued hold of the lead.
The Spin Doctors missed a couple of chances in a tense-filled endgame in the extended second set and put up a valiant fight in the third, overcoming a three-point deficit before Lorenz Senoron hammered a cross-court attack that tied the game at 23.
But JP Bugaoan scored on back-to-back plays to frustrate the Spin Doctors and secure the win.
Earlier, Cignal banked on Umandal, who shattered a 25-all count with imposing attacks to give the HD Spikers a commanding 2-0 advantage.
“It’s not the performance na gusto namin mangyari for this game. Hiindi kami satisfied sa nagiging performance namin kasi alam namin na may ibubuga pa, may mas ipapakita pa. Kahit na panalo kami, lagi pa rin kaming naghahanap ng room for improvement,” said Cignal coach Dexter Clamor.
Bugaoan added 11 points for Cignal in the one-hour, 24-minute encounter while Lloyd Josafat and Mark Calado chipped in five points each.
Cignal tries to extend its roll to four when it faces Air Force on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Senoron led the way for the Spin Doctors with 13 points on 13 attacks and added 13 excellent receptions and five excellent digs for Savouge, which slipped to 1-1.
The Spin Doctors resume their campaign against the D’Navigators Iloilo side on Sunday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
