After dropping first set, Cignal turns tables on Farm Fresh to draw first blood in PVL Semis

Cignal rediscovered its rhythm after dropping the opening set, overwhelming Farm Fresh the rest of the way in four sets, 23-25, 25-14, 25-11, 25-12, to kick off its semifinals campaign in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on a high note Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Super Spikers started slow in the opener but gradually found their rhythm. They built enough momentum to dominate the next three sets and open their round-robin semifinals campaign with a 1-0 record.

(C) PVL Images

“I think siguro ‘yung tamang galaw namin, paano rin kami nag-prepare and kung anong meron talaga ‘yung team namin,” said Cignal head coach Shaq delos Santos.

“Like ‘yun nga, kailangan gumalaw talaga kami nang mabilis pero dapat nasa tamang timing. So ‘yun ‘yung mga naging adjustments, and especially ‘yung serve namin and receive. Napakalaking factor sa amin nun, kaya nakuha namin ‘yung game,” he added.

The 1-2 punch of Erika Santos and Vanie Gandler once again powered Cignal. Santos scored a game-high 21 points, while Gandler added 18 points on 13 attacks, three blocks, and two aces, alongside six excellent receptions.

Tine Tiamzon delivered an all-around performance with 11 points and 13 excellent digs, then Rose Doria-Aquino added scoring punch from the middle with seven points.

Dawn Catindig anchored Cignal’s floor defense with 24 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions. Gel Cayuna orchestrated the offense with 16 excellent sets and five points.

The Super Spikers held the edge across all departments, 58-42 in attacks, 8-4 in blocks, and 5-3 in aces. But the biggest difference came in errors, with the Foxies committing 27 compared to just 13 from Cignal in the one-hour-and-44-minute match.

Cignal will next face Creamline on Tuesday at 6:30 PM, aiming to extend its strong run and move a step closer to securing a Finals berth.

(C) PVL Images

Trisha Tubu, who was pulled to the bench to start the fourth in Farm Fresh head coach Koji Tsuzurabara’s attempt to find answers, finished with 13 points. Royse Tubino added 12 markers and 10 excellent receptions in the loss.

Ces Molina was held to just nine points, laced with six excellent receptions, while Alohi Robins-Hardy also struggled to set up the Foxies’ offense, finishing with only eight excellent sets.

Farm Fresh hopes to stay alive when it faces top-ranked PLDT on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.