MANILA, Philippines — Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos and star libero Dawn Macandili-Catindig are honored to have Buding Duremdes on their side, bolstering their floor defense in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.

A day after her signing announcement, Duremdes made her debut and backed up Catindig in protecting Cignal’s floor to stave off her former team Chery Tiggo, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-21, for an early 2-0 league lead on Thursday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. 

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READ: PVL: Buding Duremdes reunites with former coach at Cignal

The Alas Pilipinas libero, who had 23 digs and excellent receptions, relished her team-up with Duremdes after several head-to-heads in the UAAP and in the PVL for the past years.

“It’s an honor. It feels great to have someone who has your back and can deliver, and I know she’s also stable on the court,” said Catindig.

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Cignal HD Spikers’ Dawn Catindig. –PVL PHOTO

The former La Salle star also shared that she’s learning a lot from her former rival from Far Eastern University.

“As for me, I’m very observant during the game. I pick up a lot of skills and IQ from other players. It’s the same with Buding, who I’ve competed against before,” said Catindig. “She has a lot of qualities that I want to learn, like how relaxed she is. For me, as an older sister, I also share my insights with her about the game.”

READ: Cignal gets better coverage with Duremdes signing

Duremdes, who parted ways with Chery Tiggo after four years, couldn’t express her happiness into words with her new home, where she is reunited with college and club coach Delos Santos and fellow ex Lady Tamaraws Gel Cayuna, Gyzelle Sy, and Jov Fernandez.

“Dream come true po,” quipped Duremdes with laughter.  “Awesome po.”

For Delos Santos, his reunion with Duremdes is also a dream come true, recalling their days at Petron and FEU.

“Everything has its right time. So, it’s a good thing that it worked out, and we’re so happy that she grabbed the opportunity to join Cignal,” said Delos Santos. “This has a huge impact. Like Dawn said, anyone can be a leader on their team, so it’s just about how we prepare ourselves for the game.”

The Cignal coach added that having Catindig and Duremdes brought great balance to their team.

“These are the two liberos you can count on to deliver when you put them on the court or in training. It’s balanced. This one (Duremdes) is the comedian. This one (Catindig) is more focused and serious about everything she does. At the same time, we have a joker who can make you smile even when you don’t want to,” he said.

Cignal eyes its third win against Choco Mucho on Thursday at Philsports Arena.