HD Spikers vow to come out better, tougher

MANILA, Philippines — Cignal HD head coach Edgar Barroga said facing and beating top seed Petron twice in the semis eventually took its toll on the HD Spikers as they battled F2 Logistics in the recent finals of the PSL All-Filipino Conference.

“Fatigue was definitely a factor,” said Barroga after his wards were swept by the Cargo Movers in the best-of-three finals at the Mall of Asia Arena last Tuesday.

The fifth-ranked HD Spikers bucked overwhelming odds to get a first-ever shot at the crown. They first upended the No. 4 Generika-Ayala Lifesavers in the quarterfinals then toppled the highly-favored and two-time champion Blaze Spikers in the semis.

Not once, but twice, and both in five-set matches.

They dragged the Cargo Movers to a fifth set in the opener of the finals, fighting back from a 0-2 deficit, only to lose steam in the decider, 21-25, 24-26, 25-18, 25-16, 8-15.

Cignal came into Game 2 hoping to extend the series. But the HD Spikers just couldn’t much the Cargo Movers’ firepower, not to mention their championship experience.

The Cargo Movers made it look easy in scoring a 25-14, 25-16, 25-19 win to clinch the title.

F2 Logistics, runnerup to Petron the past two years, reclaimed the coveted All-Filipino crown which it won in 2016.

The Cignal coach said he saw the obvious.

“I noticed that my players could not move that effectively. I didn’t see the same fight we had in Game One and in the semis,” said Barroga.

He also mentioned jitters that normally bug first-timers on such crucial stage.

“It’s also more of that we got excited being an unexpected finalist,” said Barroga, who nevertheless came out of the duel humbled but extremely proud of his wards.

“Of course, we dreamt of the championship. But we should not be ashamed of this run. We should be proud especially with the tough path we went through just to get here (finals),” said Barroga.

Veteran and top spiker Rachel Ann Daquis put it all in context when she said: “Siempre, ibibigay ni Lord yun sa tamang panahon. Ibig sabihin hindi pa ngayon, kailangan pa namin pagtrabahuhan. We need to work hard to achieve our goal.”

That could come in the upcoming PSL Invitational Conference where the HD Spikers hope to come out stronger, better and a lot tougher.