MANILA, Philippines — The Cignal HD Spikers came close to completing a historic Spikers’ Turf Open Conference ‘three-peat’ in Game 2, but Jaron Requinton had other plans.

After the HD Spikers erased Criss Cross King Crunchers’ two-set lead, Requinton delivered clutch plays in the fifth set and secured the  25-20, 25-15, 18-25, 22-25, 15-12 win that forced a deciding Game 3.

“Game 2 just wasn’t meant for us. We need to work harder for Game 3. Criss Cross really wants to win. We had a slow start—we lost the first and second sets. There was no fire, no team play, and no sense of urgency,” said Cignal coach Dexter Clamor in Filipino.

READ: Spikers’ Turf Finals: Criss Cross escapes Cignal, forces Game 3

“We only started to get things going in the third and fourth sets. Then in the fifth set, Owa (Retamar) suddenly got cramps. We had a 4-0 run during that set, but we still missed some opportunities.”

Clamor admitted that their rotations and adjustments didn’t work and emphasized the need for a thorough game review on Saturday.

Jau Umandal and the Cignal HD Spikers during Game 2 of the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals against Criss Cross King Crunchers. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“There were some points and rotations where we didn’t stick to the game plan. Tomorrow, when we review the game, we’ll check where we went wrong. Was it during the side-out or the breakpoints? We’ll focus on the details and figure out what adjustments we need to make for Game 3,” he said.

Jau Umandal, who led the HD Spikers with 22 points, remains optimistic heading into Sunday’s 4 p.m. decider.

READ: Spikers’ Turf: Jau Umandal shines, but has plenty of help

“It just wasn’t meant for us. All we can do now is look forward and trust that God has a plan. Maybe Game 3 will be our time. That’s the hope we’re holding on to right now, especially with what happened today,” Umandal said.

” I just try to give positive energy to my teammates. If I can lift them up, that’s when the positive energy starts to flow, and we all benefit from it. It’s about having good energy all around. If one of us isn’t bringing that energy, it affects the whole team, but when we all have it, it’s great for everyone.”

With their ninth title at stake, Clamor urges the HD Spikers to give their all in the final game of Cignal-Criss Cross championship chapter three.

“It’s all or nothing now. Game 3 is the last one, and whatever happens on Sunday will be history. We’re going to give our best,” the Cignal coach said.

“We’ll study them again because they made some adjustments in this game that they didn’t use before. Maybe they’ll stick with the same lineup they used in Game 2, but Game 3 is a different story. It’s all about preparation—mentally, physically, everything.”