Cignal's Vanie Gandler. PVL Media Bureau

MANILA, Philippines – Cignal saw a challenging development midway through the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino as two of its mainstays, former best middle blocker Riri Meneses and former Conference MVP and skipper Ces Molina, left the squad earlier this year.

But that didn't stop the HD Spikers from finishing strong in the preliminaries, as the those who were left snagged critical wins, eventually copping the third seed in the qualifying round.

They concluded this phase with an 8-3 win-loss card.

READ: PVL: Cignal 'not dwelling' on departure of Meneses, Molina

For star spiker Vanie Gandler, their solid performance wasn't really surprising because she knew her teammates would step up and contribute.

READ: PVL: Molina, Meneses have left Cignal, talent agency announces

Moreover, the trust among the HD Spikers has been always there, at least according to Gandler.

Gandler led by example on Tuesday, delivering a game-high 15 points against Akari on Tuesday for their eighth win in the preliminary round of the ongoing All-Filipino Conference.

"I didn’t really get surprised with the performance of the team, kasi I trust everyone in the team. Even before that everything happened, they’ve been stepping up naman always," said the former Ateneo volleyball star.

READ: PVL: Cignal claims no. 3 seed with rout of Akari

"They’ve been contributing every practice, every game so I think our trust in them is always there and it’s still there — and we knew kayang-kaya pa," Gandler also said.

Gandler acknowledged the physical toll of being undermanned, but she knows teamwork will get them through the bridge.

"Yeah, physical side, it’s kinda hard on our team 'cause we’re only 12 and it’s kinda pressuring, too that we can’t have an off-game but then that’s why I say it’s really teamwork, when one person is off everyone else helps that person."