Gandler shows Super Spikers right path to PVL dream
Vanie Gandler doesn’t mince words when talking about what her ultimate goal is in the Premier Volleyball League.
“My goal for myself is to be able to help Cignal win the championship. That’s it,” said Gandler.
Short and sweet, much like her team’s performance on Thursday.
The Super Spikers notched their fifth win in seven games in the All-Filipino Conference, wasting no time in toppling the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22, at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Gandler finished with 20 points as Cignal remained tucked at the No. 3 spot. The Ateneo product also finished the game with the knowledge that the Super Spikers have much to work on if they want to successfully pursue their title dreams.
“We know that no one is safe, even though we started the conference strong. We know that we’re not safe because everyone has wins, everyone has losses. And now is not the time for us to relax,” said Gandler
“Every practice, we’re really doing our best to stay aggressive and to keep improving from all our mistakes.”
It’s been a theme so far for Cignal, bouncing back strong after setbacks. In this latest one, the Super Spikers cleaned up their game after a five-set loss to Akari last Saturday, with Gandler delivering the clutch blows. She piled up 18 attacks, two blocks and 18 excellent receptions
“In the third set, I told the girls that ZUS Coffee is known as five-set queens. They’ve made so many comebacks. So, we can’t let them get ahead because we know what they’re capable of. So, we really tried our best to stay composed and to stay aggressive,” she said.
Gandler is Cignal’s main scorer with an average of 16.7 points per game, but she stressed that her value goes beyond individual numbers.
Capital1 next
The Alas Pilipinas star, known for her iron will, said mental toughness will play a big part for the team heading to the latter part of the elimination round, as every team in the field races to a top 4 finish.
Two outright semifinal berths will be made available for the taking in the Top 4.
“We saw what we need to work on. And, also, the mental toughness coming into the next games. And, we also know that every team is studying us. So, we need to find ways to play even better,” she said.
Cignal has nine days to prepare for Capital1 on March 14 at the same venue before its last preliminary game against Creamline on March 21.
“Knowing Capital1 from the way we’ve watched them every game, they’re very competitive. You really can’t relax, especially with the next round coming up,” said Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos in Filipino.
“The good thing is how we’re managing our recovery and identifying the things we still need to improve or master, especially in situations like these. I was really happy earlier because we were able to find ways to deal with those broken plays. That’s something we’ve been trying to improve, and hopefully we get even better.”
ZUS Coffee is on the brink of being relegated to the play-in after dropping to 1-6. Chinnie Arroyo and Thea Gagate paced the Thunderbelles with 11 points apiece.
