MANILA, Philippines – Before a large crowd on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Cignal HD Spikers celebrated a crucial victory over the highly anticipated Creamline Cool Smashers by winning 23 to 25, 25 to 23, 28 to 26, and 25 to 18 as Riri Meneses froze and stretched her wings in victory.

By no means have the HD Spikers won the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference. However, the back-to-back third place teams in this year’s Open Conference and Invitationals moved a step closer to a fantasy championship appearance with a 2 to 0 card in the semifinal round and by upsetting the grand slam-seeking team in the race for the first finals slot.

With so many supporters, Creamline is a terrific team. But the fact that we were able to pull it off gives us a lot of confidence. According to Tai Bierria, “It demonstrated our character and demonstrated our capacity to keep improving.

As the club defeated Chery Tiggo last Thursday, the Cignal immigrant came off the bench late in the first period and scored 21 points, tying her previous high. The 25-year-old American, who was initially looked upon with mild disdain by the reinforcements due to her youth and manner, has now proven her value as the Cignal campaign moves forward, embracing her position as a reserve player who is always prepared to step up when necessary.

To avoid having to play a tiebreaker, Cignal will go all out to defeat Petro Gazz in the semifinals tomorrow, while Creamline will try to adjust against Chery Tiggo.

Creamline scored 61 attack points compared to Cignal’s 49 points, but the HD Spikers had three more blocks with 12 than their opponent.

As Cignal overcame a shaky beginning to force a draw at twelve, it was a toss-up in the crucial third. The HD Spikers showed poise under duress as Bierria scored on a power tip to force another tie at 26 as they battled it out through 11 more stalemates punctuated by strong knocks and blocking.

After another solid tip from Meneses, Cignal was pushed to the point where Bierria finished it off with an off-speed hit.

With Bierria, Araneta, and Doria leading the charge in the fourth, the HD Spikers rode the momentum of their impressive escape to win the game 24 to 16. Creamline tried to hold on and scored back-to-back points, but Cayuna again set up Meneses for a quick hit before stopping and raising her arms in celebration.

With Cignal, Bierria has faith in the procedure

Tai Bierria, a Cignal import, has embraced her new position with the HD Spiker wholeheartedly.

In the semifinals of the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on Sunday, the 25-year-old American, who was on the bench for the fourth straight match, helped Cignal defeat title favorite Creamline in four sets.

The HD Spikers defeated the Cool Smashers by scores of 23 to 25, 25 to 23, 28 to 26, and 25 to 18 thanks in large part to the 21 points that Bierria scored in the last frame on 17 attacks, three blocks, and an ace.

The New Mexico University graduate affirmed that she trusted head coach Shaq delos Santos’ choice to insert her into the game after coming off the bench rather than starting her right away. Since the action, there has been a four-game winning run.

Since she came off the bench, Bierria has helped Cignal to a four-game winning streak. “Me being a competitor you know I want to be on the floor 24/7 but it’s been working, you know what I mean? So, you sort of gotta put your pride aside and come in and do your job anytime,” she said.

The HD Spikers are just one victory away from making their first-ever finals appearance, but Bierria warned them not to take their success for granted as they prepare for Tuesday’s crucial match against Petro Gazz.

We have the same mindset after every win: “Big ups to them, big respect to them; they played a great game, but yeah, we’re just going to keep getting better and onto the next; we have Petro Gazz next so we’re not going to sit on these two wins.”