MANILA, Philippines — From being rivals in their previous Finals duels, Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos is grateful to have MJ Perez on his side five years after the Venezuelan’s last stint in Manila.

Perez, a former import of F2 Logistics, used to be a thorn in Delos Santos’ side in Petron in the 2017 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix. Their rivalry continued for the next two years in the defunct league but the veteran coach earned back-to-back championships to get back at the import and her ex-club.

Now Perez is leading Delos Santos and the HD Spikers’ campaign to return to the PVL Reinforced Conference finals kicked off by a huge 25-18, 25-21, 25-16 win over Choco Mucho on Thursday at Philsports Arena.

SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024

The Cignal coach felt relieved that the veteran spiker will no longer haunt his team as they are now on the same page, seeking to deliver an elusive PVL title to Cignal.

“I’ve always known how tough she is to play against. We’re so lucky and really appreciate that she accepted our offer to play for Cignal. We know she will have a huge impact and be a great help to us,” said Delos Santos after their first Pool B win. ”

Hopefully, we can maximize her strengths and also maximize the local players so everything balances out.”

Perez delivered 22 points and eight excellent receptions on her PVL debut, relishing her comeback in Manila and her first team-up with Delos Santos and team captain Molina.

“I’m very happy because this was really a team effort. It’s cool to be back in the Philippines and feel all the atmosphere and all the fans supporting. It is so nice to be back,” she said.

READ: PVL: Cignal dominates Choco Mucho in their Reinforced opener

As Cignal seeks to rise from missing the Final Four in the All-Filipino Conference and losing to the Reinforced finals two years ago, Perez offers her experience and leadership to the team, which will miss Jovelyn Gonzaga and Alas Pilipinas players Vanie Gandler and Dawn Macandili-Catindig.

“It’s very nice to be in a new team with new and young players. I feel happy because I can help them with my experience. Of course, I have good friends in the other teams, my former teammates, but it’s really nice to come to a team who appreciates my work,” Perez said. “I know there’s more to come because this is just the beginning and we will keep working for it.”

Perez also lauded the setting skills of playmaker Gel Cayuna, who had 15 excellent sets and seven points in their first pairing as setter-spiker.

“We have been working a lot, especially with our connection between setter and me. She’s very open. She’s very flexible. It’s good that we have communication all the time so we can get this confidence in the game,” she said.

Cignal guns for win No.2 in Pool B against ZUS Coffee on Tuesday next week.