Gandler stars as Cignal gains lead vs Chery Tiggo in PVL Battle for 3rd

Games Saturday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4 p.m. – Cignal vs Chery Tiggo
6 p.m. – Choco Mucho vs Creamline

MANILA, Philippines – Vanessa Gandler continued her meteoric ascension as one of Cignal’s biggest guns, coming through with a gem of a performance in a 25-19, 21-25, 25-15, 25-20 victory over Chery Tiggo Thursday that pushed them closer to claiming third place in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Mall of Asia Arena.

From just a mere potential building block for the future, Gandler swiftly learned on the fly and emerged as a weapon of the present, helping lift the HD Spikers a step closer from sealing third spot.

Gandler’s immense talent was in full majestic display on this one as the former Ateneo star presided over the attack with 21 points that she fueled with 20 bazooka kills as Cignal seized a 1-0 lead in the battle for bronze.

The HD Spikers should go for the kill Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

A decider, if necessary, is on Tuesday also at the Big Dome.

The win came just a couple of days after Cignal blew a 1-0 lead in a 2-1 semifinal series defeat to Choco Mucho that was sealed by a heartbreaking 25-20, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23 Game Three defeat at the PhilSports Arena.

But on this one, Cignal just licked its fresh, painful wound and plodded on for this one that felt like a soothing balm.

“We came from a tough loss but we know that the fight is not over so we kinda go for the bronze,” said Gandler. “The job is not over, we know Chery Tiggo is going to give us a good fight.”

Also stepping big for Cignal was the battle-scarred duo of Jovelyn Gonzaga and skipper Ces Molina, who scattered 15 and 13 hits, respectively.