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Marck Espejo and the Cignal HD Spikers win the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference. –SPIKERS TURF
MANILA, Philippines — Cignal completed a perfect run to the 2023 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference championship after surviving AMC-Cotabato, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 28-30, 15-7 in Finals Game 2 on Friday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Marck Espejo and the HD Spikers swept the Cotabato Spikers in the Finals series to win all their 15 games in the conference, only dropping a set four times in the tournament.
Cignal earned its sixth overall crown in 10 Finals appearances since joining the league organized by Sports Vision in 2015.
The HD Spikers also redeemed themselves after losing a failed ‘three-peat’ bid last year and getting swept by National University in the Finals.
After dropping the second set, Cignal was quick to get its act together in the third with Chumason Njigha nailing the timely hits including a net touch from Cotabato that gave the former a 22-14 lead. JP Bugaoan put his team at set point, 24-16 before Jayvee Sumagaysay saved a point for the opposing side.
But Wendel Miguel nailed the set-clinching kill to put the HD Spikers on the verge of winning the title with a 2-1 advantage.
Cignal HD Spikers’ Marck Espejo. –SPIKERS TURF PHOTO
Cotabato managed to keep its hopes of stretching the series by winning the extended fourth but Cignal, determined to end it tonight, asserted its domination in the deciding frame.
Miguel took matters into his own hands in the fifth set as he scored five points to give Cignal an 8-5 start. Espejo scored back-to-back kills followed by two consecutive attack errors from Wewe Medina and Jau Umandal and an ace by Miguel to pull away with a 13-5 lead.
Rex Intal’s attack error put the HD Spikers at match point, 14-5. Arnold Bautista and Lloyd Josafat saved two points for the Cotabato Spikers before Chumason Njigha delivered the championship-clinching attack.
Cotabato lost Umandal late in the fourth after a bad landing but Madz Gampong came to the rescue for Cotabato unloading five points down the stretch to reach set point, 29-28, before Intal nailed a block to force a fifth set.
Espejo led Cignal with 26 points and 34 excellent receptions
Umandal, who finished with 28 points, returned in the fifth but his presence was not enough to force a rubber match.
In Game 1, Espejo erupted for 26 points as Cignal drew first blood with a 25-22, 25-22, 28-26 victory over Cotabato on Monday.
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