When Ces Molina and Riri Meneses departed from Cignal during the holiday break of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference, many questioned how the HD Spikers would recover. Losing two key starters mid-season could have been a crippling blow, but Cignal had other plans.
On Tuesday, they made their statement loud and clear: they are still very much in the hunt for podium glory—and beyond.
Despite the shake-up, Cignal’s remaining 12 players rose to the challenge, posting an impressive 4-2 record after the break to finish the preliminaries with an 8-3 slate, securing the third seed. While some doubted their ability to sustain their performance, the team itself never wavered in its belief.
“I didn’t really get surprised with the performance of the team kasi I trust everyone in the team. Even before everything happened, they’ve been stepping up naman always,” shared Vanie Gandler, one of Cignal’s emerging leaders.
"They’ve been contributing every practice, every game, so I think our trust in them is always there and it’s still there, and we knew kayang-kaya pa."
With their veteran stars gone, new heroes emerged. Ishie Lalongisip and Judith Abil stepped up to fill the gaps in the wing spiker positions, while Rose Doria-Aquino and Jackie Acuña elevated their presence at the net. Their resilience shone through, with Cignal’s only two losses after the break coming in tightly contested battles against league powerhouses Creamline (in five sets) and PLDT (in four sets).
Head coach Shaq Delos Santos acknowledged both the challenges and the satisfaction that came with the team’s evolution.
“Hindi totally na-surprise. Siguro naging happy ako doon sa result kung papaano namin siya dine-design doon sa mga ginagawa namin and papaano namin siya pinaguusapan lahat,” he reflected.
“Siguro part din na-surprise kami. Ako, personally, na-surprise ako—surprise in a way na natutuwa ako kasi lumalabas din talaga yung pinaghihirapan namin. Ayun.”
Even with just 12 players in rotation, both Gandler and Delos Santos saw the situation as an opportunity rather than a setback. Their latest victory, a straight-sets domination of Akari (25-17, 25-15, 25-21), only reinforced that belief.
Though the pressure of a smaller roster is undeniable, Gandler praised her teammates for embracing the challenge and stepping up when needed.
“Physically, it’s kinda hard on our team because we’re only 12, and it’s kinda pressuring, too, that we can’t have an off game. But that’s why I say it’s really teamwork—when one person is off, everyone else helps that person,” she explained.
For Delos Santos, the key advantage of their situation is the players’ commitment.
“Siguro yung nakikita kong advantage, yung commitment ng players. Sobrang... Kumbaga, kahit 12 lang kami, nama-maximize namin yung skills ng bawat isa,” he noted.
“Mindset siguro talaga nung team yung ano kasi, sabi ko nga, kailangan mas ma-maximize natin yung talent and skills ng bawat isa kasi kokonti na nga lang din tayo.”
As the HD Spikers charge into the playoffs, they do so with renewed confidence, knowing that resilience and trust in one another will carry them forward. With a battle-hardened core and a nothing-to-lose mentality, Cignal has proven that even in the face of adversity, it remains a force to be reckoned with.
