Cignal HD provided the opening day sparks as it upended defending champion Chery Tiggo, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-18, to join F2 Logistics in the early lead in Group A play of Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the Paco Arena Events and Sports Center in Manila.
Behind the brilliant play of setter Angelica Cayuna, the HD Spikers pulled through in a seesaw battle of nerves in the pivotal third set while pouncing on their rivals’ erratic service play then built five-point leads in the fourth to thwart the Crossovers’ comeback bid and boost their quarterfinal drive in the nine-team tournament.
The defending champions, playing sans top player Jaja Santiago, who is campaigning in Japan, forced a tie at 14 in the fourth but Cayuna went to work again, baffling Chery Tiggo’s defense with feeds that got the rest of the team’s hitters involve in scoring as they broke away again at 21-17 on three straight drop shots from the comebacking Angeli Araneta and veteran Rachel Ann Daquis.
Jasmine Nabor saved one match point for Chery Tiggo but the Crossovers fumbled with another miscue as top hitter Mylene Paat suffered cramps at the finish, enabling the HD Spikers to clinch the win and send strong signals to the rest of the competing field.
Cignal stuns defending champions Chery Tiggo in PVL Open Conference 2022
