Making AFC semis couldn’t be sweeter for Super Spikers
For years, Cignal was on the heartbreaking end of games against the crowd-favorite Creamline.
Until their last meeting, when the Super Spikers refused to crack and flipped the script.
Facing another collapse after falling behind 2-1 in sets in their qualifying match, the Super Spikers stood their ground and wrote a different ending by hacking out a 25-21, 24-26, 18-25, 25-22, 17-15 victory over the Cool Smashers on Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In front of a Creamline-heavy crowd, Cignal weathered the pressure and leaned on Gel Cayuna, Erika Santos and Vanie Gandler to complete the comeback and secure a semifinal berth in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
“It’s always hard going up against Creamline in high-pressure games because they’re so experienced, they know what to do,” said Gandler. “They stay composed, so today, we did our best to stay composed as well and never stopped fighting.”
Gandler delivered the telling blows in the fifth set and finished with 22 points, 28 excellent receptions and 13 digs as the Super Spikers joined PLDT in the round-robin semifinals starting April 11.
The Alas Pilipinas star believes those past heartbreaks—the last of which came in the 2024 Invitational when Cignal was just a set away from the title—have made the team stronger and made them pull off this kind of comeback against their longtime tormentors and end a two-conference semifinal drought
“We know how painful it is to lose crucial games. We’ve been through it so many times,” Gandler said. “I think that’s what we all always hold in our hearts and we use that as our motivation to really fight with one another.”
Creamline fans even jeered Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos whenever he approached game officials to question or clarify a call.
But the Super Spikers were unfazed in the hostile environment, especially Erika Santos, who unleashed 26 points off 23 kills, two blocks and an ace.
“I actually enjoy playing when the crowd is mostly for the other team. I use it as motivation,” said Santos in Filipino. “When there are fans booing or reacting and then you score, it feels even more rewarding like, ‘there are so many doubters, but here I am.’
“I just turn it into motivation instead of letting the pressure get to me. It feels really good to play in that kind of atmosphere,” Santos went on.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy. So we really worked for it, especially mentally. Creamline is a tough team to beat.”
