Erika Santos sustained her scoring tear, scoring 24 points in leading Cignal past Akari, 25-20, 25-11, 28-26, in their PVL On Tour knockout quarterfinal game at PhilSports Arena. She then talked at length about not giving personal accomplishments much thought, citing the importance of seeing the HD Spikers reach the podium.
She just helped them take a step closer to that goal.
“I’ll just keep playing the way I’ve been playing. It’s back to the drawing board again,” Santos, who was recruited in the offseason to add firepower to the HD Spikers, told the Inquirer in Filipino. “I will continue to contribute and learn. The cup is always empty.”
Santos caught fire in the second set, scoring 11 points highlighted by a personal 4-0 run, for an 18-7 spread before the former La Salle Lady Spiker delivered the game-winning spike that landed on Akari’s line.
“Honestly, I don’t really focus on personal stats or anything like that,” Santos went on after scoring 22 of her points off kills. “What I really want is for us to make it to the podium together as a team. I’m thankful we reached the semis, and I’m looking forward to the next games.”
Santos has come out of her shell since transferring from PLDT, her 87-point total leading all scorers. She also has the most efficient attack rate at 37.50% after a 30-point career-high in their four-set win over ZUS Coffee last July 20 in Passi.
“I’ll keep contributing and I’ll never stop learning. I’ll always stay open and ready to grow.”
Cignal next faces the winner of the Nxled-Chery Tiggo quarterfinal game in another knockout match on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Santos credits her preseason breakthrough to setter Gel Cayuna apart of course, from the whole team’s trust, led by the coaching staff.
“I see it as an opportunity,” Santos said. “We all understand that we need to contribute, but I’m really grateful for the chance given to me—especially now that I’m getting more sets from Gel, and also the trust from the coaches
“Gel and I connect, even off the court. We bond, so it’s easy for us to communicate.”
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