HD Spikers, Titans dispute last F4 slot
CIGNAL and Choco Mucho tussle for the last semifinals berth in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference today, November 22, at the PhilSports Arena.
The fourth-running HD Spikers and the sixth-running Flying Titans collide at 2:30 p.m. as they battle in the last play date of the eliminations, which also features the non-bearing game between the already-eliminated F2 Logistics and the third semifinalist in defending champ Petro Gazz at 5:30 p.m.
The first two teams to clinch semis seats in the single roundrobin semifinals — where teams are back to 0-0 — were Chery Tiggo and the Grand Slamseeking Creamline.
Petro Gazz seized the third semis spot last Saturday when it beat United Auctioneers Inc. Army, 25-13, 25-12, 25-19 — the same day Cignal defeated and booted out F2 with a 25-21, 20-25, 25-14, 25-20 win.
“We just beat a strong F2 team and our performance elevated because of that. Hopefully, we can sustain this on Tuesday (against Choco Mucho),” said Cignal head coach Shaq de los Santos.
With the win over the Cargo Movers (3-4, eight points), the HD Spikers rose to 4-3 with 11 points and if they beat the Flying Titans, who sport a 3-4 record with nine points, in three or four sets or lost to the latter but managed to force a fifth set, they will seize the last Final Four berth.
A three or four-set win merits three points for the winner and zero for the loser while a five-set triumph merits two points for the winner and one for the loser.
If Choco Mucho is to advance to the semis, it has to beat Cignal in three or four sets to get 12 points and keep the latter at 11. A five-set win will give the Flying Titans just two points for a total of 11 and Cignal a point for a total of 12.