MANILA (UPDATED) – The Cignal HD Spikers on Saturday overcame the Chery Tiggo Crossovers to capture the bronze medal in the 2023 PVL Second All-Filipino Conference.

The HD Spikers bucked a slow start en route to an 18-25, 25-21, 25-22, 26-24 win in Game 2 of the battle-for-third series at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

This is the fourth time that Cignal HD has won bronze in the PVL – also its fifth podium finish in seven conferences, but it has always fallen short of a championship.

As expected, hard-smashing Vanie Gandler led her team's firepower with 22 points which all came from attacks, while Ces Molina and Jovelyn Gonzaga completed the supporting cast with 14 and 12 markers, respectively.

“I’m just very, very, very happy because I know how tired we are. I know how much work we’ve put in and we’ve sacrificed so much and today I really felt the fight from each player, each coach, up to the management. So I’m very thankful,” Gandler said in the postgame interview.

"Very happy din ako dahil 'yung personal growth talaga ng team, and 'yung teammates ko kahit sinong ipasok, nag-contribute talaga. Alam kong masaya ang bawat isa sa team," Molina said as she shared her emotions on the third-place victory.

Eya Laure, who was named Best Outside Spiker, paced Chery Tiggo with 17 points on 12 attacks, while former MVP Mylene Paat contributed 16. Cess Robles and Pauline Gaston also added 13 and 11 markers.

Chery Tiggo went unanswered in the late stages of the opening chapter after it built a 20-18 cushion.

However, Cignal HD bounced back in the next engagement, as it rolled to a 5-point lead after an 18-all deadlock.

Gandler hammered one down, which was answered back by a down-the-line hit by Cza Carandang, but Toni Rose Basas went for an emphatic kill to deliver the set for the HD Spikers.

Cignal owned the third and fourth sets, but the Crossovers did not go down without putting up a fight.

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After Cignal established a 24-22 lead in Set 4, Crossovers Laure and Gaston connived to bring themselves into a deuce.

Gandler answered back with an attack of her own to bring her squad to matchpoint, as Laure's attack went wide which conceded the match.

However, Chery Tiggo put forth a foot fault challenge on Gonzaga's attack before Laure's error, which lasted for a while, but it was overruled as it was deemed inconclusive.

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The Crossovers have ended their All-Filipino run on a disappointing note with six straight losses.

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