Cignal already has a formidable offense with names such as former MVP Ces Molina, Vanie Gandler and Riri Meneses.

And so the defense side of things needed to keep up if the HD Spikers want to have any chance of competing against the more formidable squads in the six-month-long PVL All-Filipino Conference.

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And so even with the ever-reliable Dawn Macandili-Catindig already serving as the team’s defensive rock, Cignal signed former Chery Tiggo libero Buding Duremdes to bolster its floor coverage. And the quirky defense ace debuted for her new team and provided sufficient help to beat her former crew, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-21, on Thursday at Filoil EcoOil Centre.

“It’s an honor. It feels good that there’s someone who has your back and who can deliver as well and [who] I know is stable on the court,” Macandili-Catindig said after protecting Cignal’s floor with 23 excellent digs.

“Not to get too comfortable, but I know that these two liberos will deliver whether on the court or in training,” coach Shaq delos Santos said. “One is a comedian (Duremdes), while the other one is not necessarily the serious type but she is always so focused on her responsibilities.”

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The two allowed the offense of the HD Spikers to go to work with the playmaking of Gel Cayuna, who tossed 20 excellent sets, setting up three attackers to twin digits. Molina led Cignal with 13 points, while Gandler and Meneses punched in 12 points each. Cayuna added nine points, five from aces.

Demanding more

Cignal thus notched a second straight victory for a share of the early lead. But even with a strong start, Delos Santos said he demands more from his cogs, especially with the Crossovers managing to steal a set from the HD Spikers.

“[One thing that we can improve on is] our communication because earlier, we had a lot of miscommunications, especially when we transitioned to attack,” Delos Santos said. “The good thing is we still managed to score points.”

“And also, [we need to improve] our consistency in pass and receive going to a good set play. The level needs to be better with the mindset that if [the players] are on the court, you need to fight until the end … But what I liked about the team is after that [second] set, they recovered and completed a come-from-behind win of the fourth set,” he added as Cignal feasted on 10 aces.

With Duremdes now in their fold, the HD Spikers gained a new spiker in Judith Abil, who was tasked with libero chores when she was signed last conference from free agency to fill the void left by Macandili-Catindig, who was with Alas Pilipinas.

“I am happy to be with Cignal,” Duremdes said. “This is a dream come true (laughs).”

“[Having two reliable liberos] is such a huge impact. Like what Dawn said, anyone of them I use can be a leader, so it will only depend on how we ready ourselves for the game,” Delos Santos said.