Cignal rediscovered its rhythm just in time, delivering a commanding straight-sets win over the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles to reinforce its position among the leaders in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
The Super Spikers turned in a composed performance at the FilOil Centre on Thursday, sweeping ZUS Coffee, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22, and quickly putting behind them a stinging five-set loss to the Akari Chargers earlier in the week.
At the center of Cignal’s rebound was outside hitter Vanie Gandler, who spearheaded the offense with 20 points while also contributing heavily on the defensive end with 13 excellent receptions. Yet despite the standout numbers, Gandler remained firm about her approach—keeping the spotlight on the collective effort rather than individual production.
“I’m not really looking at it like I’m the front of the offense. I’m just doing everything I can do to help the team,” said Gandler. “So, when I see that the team needs to make a point, I try to be as aggressive as I can be because I know that I prepare well naman.”
Cignal’s victory was built on a balanced attack and steadier floor defense, two areas the team sought to refine after its previous defeat. Middle blocker Roselyn Doria-Aquino chipped in 11 points to provide a strong presence at the net, while Erika Santos and Jackie Acuna added nine and eight markers, respectively.
The Super Spikers’ ability to regroup quickly highlighted the maturity of the squad, which continues to treat every match as a chance to sharpen its game in a conference where momentum can shift quickly.
“Yeah, we know that no one is safe, even though we started the conference strong. We know that we’re not safe because everyone has wins, everyone has losses,” Gandler said.
“Now is not the time for us to relax. So, every practice, we’re really doing our best to stay aggressive and to keep improving from all our mistakes.”
More than just a bounce-back win, the match served as an opportunity for Cignal to address the areas exposed in its previous outing—particularly mental resilience and in-game adjustments against opponents that are increasingly studying their system.
“We saw what we need to work on. And also the mental toughness coming into the next games,” Gandler added. “We also know that every team is studying us, so we need to find ways to play even better, and also to make more adjustments as well to our game.”
The victory pushed Cignal’s record to 5-2, allowing the team to remain at the top of the standings based on superior match points as the race for playoff positioning continues to tighten.
The Super Spikers will now take advantage of an extended break before returning to the court on March 14 against the Capital1 Solar Spikers at the same venue.
Meanwhile, ZUS Coffee slipped to 1-6 after absorbing its third straight defeat and will try to halt its slide when it faces the Nxled Chameleons on March 12.