The Mall of Asia Arena was loud—like, deafeningly loud—every time a Creamline player even looked at the ball on Tuesday night. But the Cignal Super Spikers didn’t seem to care much about the sea of pink in the stands. They just kept swinging. Cignal took the match 25-13, 13-25, 25-16, 25-16, effectively silencing the partisan crowd and booking their spot in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference finals.
It was a bit of a weird game if you were watching closely. Cignal looked unstoppable in the first set, absolutely crushing it, but then—well, they just hit a wall in the second. Everything fell apart for a few minutes. You could hear the thud of the ball against the floorboards, a dry, hollow sound that echoed through the sudden silence of the Cignal bench. But then they just regrouped. Coach Shaq Delos Santos didn’t even look that stressed, honestly. They just cleaned up the errors.
This trip to the finals is a big deal for them. It’s their first since the 2024 Invitational Conference, and you could see the relief on their faces as the final whistle blew. Now, Creamline has to deal with a do-or-die game against the Farm Fresh Foxies just to keep their season alive. That’s not a fun spot to be in, but that’s sports for you.
Vanie Gandler was the star of the show. She finished with 24 points, 10 digs, and 10 receptions—which is just a ridiculous stat line when you think about it. She was everywhere. Erika Santos and Tin Tiamzon helped out with 14 points each, keeping the pressure on. Or, I mean, they were definitely the reason the offense stayed afloat while the crowd tried to scream them out of the building. Rose Doria added another 10 markers, rounding out a really solid night for the team.
Gel Cayuna, the setter, was basically the heartbeat of the whole operation. She tallied 29 excellent sets and even managed to snag six points herself. Watching her move around the court, it felt like she was playing chess while everyone else was just playing volleyball. She kept finding the gaps, and the Creamline blockers looked lost at times. Actually, maybe they were just tired? It’s hard to tell from the sidelines.
On the other side, Bernadeth Pons tried her best to carry the Cool Smashers, putting up 17 points, while Jema Galanza managed 10. It wasn’t enough, though. The momentum just shifted too hard toward Cignal after that second set, and they never really let it go. They had a plan, and they stuck to it, even when the noise was at its peak. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle the pressure of the actual finals now. Will they keep this same energy? Hard to say, but for tonight, they definitely earned it.