Signal libero Dawn Macandili-Catindig ends her stint in Alas Pilipinas and returns to her mother club in the PVL – MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Whatever the outcome of the PVL Invitational Conference Finals, it’s clear that Cignal is entering a new era, one in which the HD Spikers will regularly be in the championship conversation.
And at the center of that rise is Dawn Makandili-Katindig, a libero whose consistently energetic play is matched by her ability to read opponents’ attacks and cover the floor.
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Macandili-Katindig’s presence was felt throughout Signal’s 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11 victory over Kurashiki Ablaze late Wednesday night at PhilSports Arena. Her performance even caught the eye of MJ Perez, who recorded a PVL career-high 36 points and an impressive 21 digs.
“Obviously, we want to win. I’m very happy about this win, especially now that we have Dawn. She brings so much to the team,” Perez said.
At the time of writing, Cignal was competing for the throne with Creamline.
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It wasn’t hard for Makandili Katindig to stay motivated during the match against the Japanese guest club.
After all, she had missed all of Signal’s reinforcement conference matches to fulfill national team duties as captain of Alas Pilipinas, and when she saw an opportunity to contribute for her club team, she grabbed it.
“My aggression comes from just watching from the outside and not being able to play and contribute,” said the defensive ace, who has played just three games since being released from national team duty.
“I just focused on staying calm,” Makandili Katindig said. “I needed to contribute to the team.”
“Contributing” may be an understatement.
Makandili Katindig chased kills, diving all over the court and showing off 27 impressive digs that were paired well with some great blocking from Signal.HD Spikers’ resolute defence kept the team together especially in the key moments when they were leading in the fifth set.
The defense also benefited from the performance of Venezuelan Perez, who was the signal driving force in the final.
Perez scored three key points in the final, including a deceptive drop that gave the HD Spikers a 12-10 lead.
Find the hole
Kurashiki switched to a defensive role in an attempt to blunt Signal’s attack, but Perez continued to find holes as the HD Spikers extended their lead to three. Yukino Yano clipped the baseline to energize Kurashiki’s attack, but Perez got another kill to set up match point.
Yano’s kill attempt went wide, sealing the fate of the Japanese club and putting Signal Arena in position to claim their first ever championship.
The only other time the HD Spikers have been in this position was in 2022 when they lost to Petro Gaz in the Reinforced Conference to win the silver medal, the highest honour.
Surrounding that bridesmaid finish were five bronze medals, the most recent of which was from the recently finished Reinforced, and Creamline added a ninth gold medal to its collection.
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However, by knocking the Japanese team out of the invitational championship, Signal made it clear that this would not be their last chance to compete for the title.
