ILOILO – Cignal not only redeemed itself from a tough loss to Chery Tiggo that snapped its three-game win streak, but also secured the first outright quarterfinal berth in Pool B with a 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 25-16 victory over ZUS Coffee in the PVL On Tour at the City of Passi Arena here on Sunday.

Denied of a sweep after dropping the third set, the HD Spikers came out firing in the fourth, with Erika Santos sustaining her game-long brilliance, combining power with crafty plays to steer her team to the one-hour, 51-minute triumph – and into the next phase of the pre-season tournament.

Cignal raced to a 6-2 start in the fourth and never looked back, staying firmly in control with contributions from Ishie Lalongisip, Jackie Acuña, Heather Guino-o and playmaker Gel Cayuna. The team also capitalized on ZUS Coffee’s errors while showcasing solid floor defense led by homegrown libero Buding Duremdes.

Santos delivered her 30th point on a blistering down-the-line hit to cap a long rally and push Cignal to match point at 24-15. Chinnie Arroyo delayed the inevitable with a hit, but the HD Spikers eventually sealed the win in anticlimactic fashion, winning a floor touch challenge after a brief exchange.

The successful challenge sealed Cignal’s bounce-back win from its four-set loss to Chery Tiggo the night before, lifting them to the top of group play with a 4-1 record and the first guaranteed spot in the quarterfinals.

“Pinaghandaan namin ito. Yesterday, medyo off kami lahat. This time, we stayed composed and just enjoyed the game to keep things light,” said Santos, Cignal’s prized off-season pickup from PLDT, who erupted for 30 points – 29 on attacks – more than doubling her 14-point effort in their previous outing.

Despite being named Best Player of the Game, Santos was quick to deflect the spotlight.

“Lahat nag-sakripisyo,” she said, emphasizing the team’s collective effort.

Lalongisip and Acuña finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively, Roselyn Doria-Aquino added nine points, Tin Tiamzon chipped in seven markers and Cayuna scored six points, including highlight 1-2 plays.

Cayuna also orchestrated the offense with 27 excellent sets, outplaying counterpart Cloanne Mondonedo, who finished with 20.

Arroyo topscored for ZUS Coffee with 20 points – just three shy of her output in their five-set thriller against Creamline on Saturday. Chai Troncoso added nine markers, while Fiola Ceballos and rookie AC Miner scored eight apiece, as the Thunderbelles slipped to a 2-2 record.

With Santos and Lalongisip on the firing end, Cignal outgunned ZUS Coffee, 71-49, and also dominated the net with a 9-5 edge in blocks – more than compensating for the 23 free points they gave away on unforced errors.

ZUS Coffee, meanwhile, committed 15 unforced errors of its own.

Down 0-2 in sets, the Thunderbelles refused to go quietly, mounting a strong comeback in the third with a momentum-shifting run midway through the frame after conceding the first four points. They seized control at 17-11 following a Arroyo putaway at the end of a grueling rally, then held steady by trading blows with Cignal to maintain a comfortable four-point cushion.

Cignal threatened late, cutting the gap to 21-24 behind back-to-back hits from Santos. But ZUS Coffee coach Jerry Yee called timeout – not to overhaul strategy, but to cool off Cignal’s server.

The move paid off, as Tin Tiamzon sent her serve long at resumption, handing the Thunderbelles the set and a lifeline – and a chance to stretch the match to a fourth straight five-setter.

But the HD Spikers had other things in mind.

Meanwhile, the long break before the quarters is expected to further sharpen and toughen up the HD Spikers, who are determined to bounce back from a lackluster showing in the last All-Filipino Conference, where their campaign was disrupted by the sudden withdrawal of two key players.

Now back in fierce form, the HD Spikers are poised to return stronger and more focused when they resume their title drive.

The Tour takes a five-day break with action to resume in Cebu City on Saturday (July 26) featuring the explosive Nxled-PLDT at 4 p.m. and the Galeries Tower-Farm Fresh showdown at 6:30 p.m. at the USJ-R Coliseum.