Even with their streak of Finals appearances ended by the first match of the semifinals, Cignal showed no signs of letting up, cruising past ProVolley Academy, 25-13, 25-19, 25-20, on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference.
The Super Spikers closed the semifinals with a 3-2 record—falling short of what could have been their ninth consecutive Finals appearance—but they made it clear they were still playing to win.
In the battle for third place, organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, Black Mamba, and Arena Plus, Cignal will face the loser between Savouge Aesthetics and Kindai University, whose match was ongoing at the time of posting.
“Kahit na wala na kaming chance sa Finals, kailangan ibigay pa rin namin ‘yung best namin. Medyo mabigat maglaro kasi nandoon pa rin ‘yung panghihinayang, but at least, yung second six nung ipinasok ko sila, talagang ginusto nila maglaro,” said Super Spikers head coach Dexter Clamor.
The trio of Samuel Hansen, Isaac Relova, and Zac O’Brien gave the Australians a 15-13 lead in the third set, but Cignal refused to surrender. JM Ronquillo led the fightback, supported by Nas Gwaza, Steven Rotter, and Vince Abrot, to close out the match in one hour and 13 minutes.
Jau Umandal topped all scorers with 16 points—12 attacks, three blocks, and one ace—while Ronquillo added 13 points in just two sets of action. KC Andrade also stood out with eight points as Cignal dominated the spiking category 45-25.
For ProVolley Academy, Hansen paced the team with nine points, while Relova and O’Brien added five apiece. The Australians finished the semifinals with a 0-5 record.
All games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, as well as via the Pilipinas Live app, which also offers video-on-demand options. Matches are additionally streamed on spikersturf.ph.
