By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Cignal HD Spikers got the better of the young ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, 25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 25-11, in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on February 13, 2025, at the Philsports Arena.
With another convincing victory, the HD Spikers just raked their second consecutive dub and improved to a 7-3 win-loss record, equalizing the Choco Mucho Flying Titans for third place.
After moving a set away when they dominated the Thunderbelles in sets 1 & 2 for a comfortable 2-0 advantage, the HD Spikers found themselves in trouble when they lost a close third-set encounter, allowing ZUS Coffee to steal away the momentum of the game.
From an error-plagued first two sets, the Thunderbelles roared back in the third and relied on their middle blocking led by their PVL lottery pick Thea Gagate.
Just when ZUS Coffee thought they could maintain the level of their pace and anchor the middle area with their length, the veteran Cignal squad played a clever approach when the fourth set kicked off and navigated the more efficient scoring options.
Cignal pulled off the tricks on their sleeves and frustrated the Thunderbelles with a series of unpredictable offensive sequences led by star rookie Ishie Lalongisip who provided the much-needed spark.
The HD Spikers minimized their powerful cross-court hits that were partially deflected in the middle and piled up their scoring by executing off-speed hits and drop balls.
Cignal’s simple adjustment steered them to an early cushion and didn’t look back when they stretched their advantage to as much as 16 points.
Lalongisip then iced the game with several down-the-line spikes, backstopped by a couple of service aces that delivered Cignal’s seventh PVL victory.
The rookie played like a veteran and spearheaded Cignal’s rally in the last two sets with 20 big points built from 18 successful attacks and five excellent receptions.
Jackie Acuña provided the offensive support for Lalongisip and chipped in 17 markers derived from 15 successful attacks and four excellent receptions.
“Yung motivation ko naman po everyday, iniisip ko lang ‘yung ginagawa namin sa training kasi ayaw ko rin sayangin ‘yung pagod and sacrifice ng bawat isa, lalo na ‘yung mga teammates ko,” said Lalongisip after the win.
The HD Spikers will look to stretch their winning streak to three on February 18, 2025, as they challenge the Akari Chargers in the first scheduled game of the PVL doubleheader.
