Cignal moved on the verge of completing an elimination round sweep after dealing Iloilo a 25-19, 25-22, 25-15, straight sets beating in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Friday night at Paco Arena.
The HD Spikers improved to a 9-0 win-loss record and have yet to drop a single set in the season-opening tournament.
After a close second frame, Cignal made sure not to leave anything to chance with a third set rout to close the match in 75 minutes.
Marck Espejo led two other HD Spikers in double figures with 16 points built on 12 attacks, two aces and two kill blocks. JP Bugaoan had 11 markers while Wendel Miguel filled the stats sheet with 11 points, seven digs and nine excellent receptions for the semis-bound Cignal.
“All I can say is the team performed well. We wanted to show that even if we’ve already secured a seat in the semifinals we’ll gain the respect of our opponents especially Iloilo which we could possibly face in the next round,” Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor said.
Meanwhile, the D’Navigators dropped their second straight game to fall to 6-2, still at third spot.
Jerome Cordez produced 16 points while Jade Disquitado had 10 for Iloilo.
In the other pairing, AMC-Cotabato bolstered its semis drive with a 25-22, 23-25, 25-15, 25-20 win over PGJC-Navy.
The Cotabato Spikers improved to a 6-1 slate behind Jau Umandal’s 27-point explosion he collected from 23 attacks, three kill blocks and an ace. He also tallied 15 excellent receptions.
The also-ran Sealions slid to a 3-5 card despite Christian Marcelino and Wilbert Sapida scoring 15 and 11 markers, respectively.