Cignal HD Spikers to target top of Pool A play-in phase of PVL
Games on Thursday
(PhilSports Arena)
4 p.m. – Chery Tiggo vs Nxled
6:30 p.m. – Capital1 vs Cignal
CIGNAL aims to achieve what it failed to accomplish in the qualification round as it hopes to barge into the quarterfinals via the backdoor when it tackles Capital1 in Thursday’s start of the play-in phase of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the PhilSports Arena.
The HD Spikers missed out on making the best-of-three quarters outright after getting ambushed by the Galeries Tower Highrisers, 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-17, on Thursday that sent them down to Pool A of the two-bracket play-in tournament.
There, Cignal would aim to sweep, or at least top their group, to advance to the quarters versus No. 2 seed Petro Gazz slated for March 18 at the same Pasig venue in a short but sweet three-game series.
After their 6:30 p.m. match with the Solar Spikers, the HD Spikers’ only other play-in schedule will come against the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles on Tuesday.
“We’re treating it one game at a time,” said Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos.
Also eyeing a place in the sun are Chery Tiggo and Nxled, who face off at 4 p.m. in Pool B action.
The other member of the second pool is Farm Fresh, which will tackle Chery Tiggo, the 2021 bubble champion, on Tuesday, and Nxled on Thursday.
The winner of this group will earn the right to face five-peat feat-seeking Creamline also March 18. — Joey Villar
