After surmounting the formidable challenge posed by Marina Tushova and the Capital1 Solar Spikers, MJ Perez and her Cignal squad are setting their sights firmly on the semifinals of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference.
The clash against Capital1 was nothing short of a thriller, as Perez and her team had to dig deep to fend off a dramatic comeback spurred by Tushova’s record-shattering performance. Despite the Solar Spikers' relentless push, Cignal emerged victorious with a tense 25-19, 36-34, 16-25, 22-25, 15-12 win at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Saturday.
Reflecting on the high-stakes match, Perez made it clear that the journey is far from complete. 
“My feeling is that the job here is not done. We still have a job to do and this is the first step, and we knew that it was not gonna be easy,” stressed Perez. “We knew that it was gonna be difficult and we saw it. But now, we have to keep our target and still this is not our main target. Our main target is to try to be in the finals.”
In a standout performance, the 36-year-old Perez delivered 34 points, including 33 attacks, and made 15 excellent receptions during the two-hour, 35-minute contest. Her efforts were crucial in securing the win for Cignal, but she was quick to acknowledge the exceptional performance of Tushova. The Russian spiker set a new league high with 50 points—47 from attacks, two from blocks, and one from an ace—accompanied by 16 excellent receptions and 12 excellent digs.
“It was so challenging. Tushova is a great player. She’s good, she’s very smart,” Perez acknowledged.
Perez also praised her teammates for their collective effort, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in overcoming the Solar Spikers' resurgence from a 0-2 deficit.
“Of course, in my position, I’m the import of this team—I have to bounce back every time, every chance. It was hard,” said Perez. “But I keep positive because we have the whole team, you know. We have good middles, we have good opposites, we have a great setter. So this is what I think. This is all about teamwork. So that’s why I was keeping very positive.”
With Capital1 now out of the competition, Perez and the HD Spikers are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Creamline-Petro Gazz quarterfinals matchup, ready to face the next challenge in their pursuit of the championship.
