News
Nxled holds off Cignal, rises to 3-0 in PVL AFC
ANTIPOLO – Nxled weathered a late flurry from Cignal in the third set to complete a hard-fought sweep, 25-19, 25-22, 27-25, in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Ynares Center here.
After cruising through the first two sets, the Chameleons’ sloppy execution late in the third nearly allowed the Super Spikers to force a fourth set. However, Nxled managed to steady the ship in time to secure their third consecutive win and maintain a perfect 3-0 start.
The Chameleons seemed in full control after building a 19-14 cushion in the third set, poised to close out the match. But Cignal refused to fold, launching a furious rally led by Gel Cayuna, Tin Tiamzon, and Erin Pangilinan that trimmed the deficit to a single point and turned the set into a tense showdown.
Nxled regained composure and pulled ahead 23-21 after Lyann De Guzman tooled the block, inching closer to completing the sweep.
(C) PVL Images
The momentum shifted again when Myla Pablo was called for a costly net violation following the Super Spikers’ successful mid-rally challenge, injecting new life into Cignal. De Guzman’s next attack sailed long, and Pablo’s ensuing attempt also went out, giving Cignal set point at 24-23.
MJ Philips responded with a quick strike to even the score, but Erika Santos punched through the blockers to give Cignal another chance to extend the set.
Santos’ serve, however, fell short, deadlocking the score at 25-all. Brooke Van Sickle delivered a sharp cross-court hit to nudge the Chameleons back in front, and moments later, Vanie Gandler’s misfire ended Cignal’s resistance, sealing Nxled’s hard-earned victory after one hour and 31 minutes of gripping action.
“Honestly, we expect a very difficult game today because they are playing really good. They have a very nice beginning of the conference, they have three wins in a row. So, we expect to have a tough game and we had a tough game,” said Chameleons head coach Ettore Guidetti.
Van Sickle tallied 14 points, all coming from attacks, while also contributing six excellent digs and nine excellent receptions. Philips matched her output with 14 points of her own, converting 14 of 17 attacks in a highly efficient performance for Nxled.
Pablo added 14 points and seven excellent receptions. Rookies De Guzman and Jules Tolentino also impressed, with the former scoring nine points and the latter registering 19 excellent sets and five points.
The Chameleons will face Galeries Tower on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Filoil Centre, aiming for their fourth straight victory.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, Cignal’s three-game winning streak came to an end as the Super Spikers slipped to 3-1 in the standings.
Santos was the lone double-digit scorer for Cignal with 15 points, complemented by five excellent digs. Erin Pangilinan added seven points off the bench.
Gandler, who averaged 18.33 points in the team’s first three games, was limited to just five, while Cayuna finished with eight excellent sets.
The Super Spikers will look to bounce back when they face another unbeaten squad, PLDT, on February 24 at 6:30 p.m., also at the Filoil Centre.
The post Nxled holds off Cignal, rises to 3-0 in PVL AFC appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Two weeks after inaugurating its basketball courts, Mighty Sports Center will officially open its volleyball courts at AcroCity in Guiguinto, Bulacan, on Saturday, October 10, in what promises to be another festive affair.
Rising star Jolina Dela Cruz and veterans Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachell Anne Daquiz, along with the rest of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, will join the celebration dubbed “SET.SPIKE.PLAY.”
AcroCity and Czark Mak chairman Caesar Wongchuking, a longtime sports patron, said that aside from the exhibition match between ZUS Coffee and the Makata Selection of Bulacan at 4 p.m., the event will also feature a meet-and-greet session where fans can interact with their PVL idols.
“Just like the inauguration of the basketball courts, fans can interact with these professional volleyball players,” said Wongchuking. “It’s our own little way to giving back to communities.”
Wongchuking added that proceeds from the event will go to Tahanang Mapagpala of Immaculada Concepcion Foundation, Inc. He also thanked ZUS Coffee owner Frank Lao for allowing his players to take part in the celebration.
Also expected to grace the event are Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro and Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad.
The volleyball courts are part of the Mighty Sports Center at AcroCity, a development envisioned as a “Live, Work, Play” destination in Guiguinto.
Aside from its basketball and volleyball courts and modern fitness center, AcroCity is also home to Acro Residences Hotel, restaurants such as Cafe de Margaux and Mt. Fuji, and event venues including Ang Hardin and NDW Plaza, which is named after the Wongchuking family matriarch, Nelia D. Wongchuking.
The post ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign for the U17 AFCON against Cote d’Ivoire next week Wednesday.
The match schedule is out!
Ouagadougou will host the WAFU B U-17 AFCON Qualifying Tournament Burkina Faso 2026 from 10 to 23 October 2026.
West Africa’s best U-17 teams will battle for qualification to the U-17 AFCON.
Check out the official match schedule!
#WAFUB #U17AFCON #BurkinaFaso2026 #RoadToAFCON #YouthFootball #AfricanFootball
#UFOAB #WAFUB #U17AFCON #BurkinaFaso2026 #RoadToAFCON #YouthFootball
— CAF ZONE OUEST B (@CafZoneOuestB) October 7, 2026
Their other Group B match will be against Niger three days later.
The WAFU B U17 AFCON qualifying tournament will kick off Saturday, when hosts Burkina Faso take on Benin and Ghana square up against Togo.
Burkina Faso head Group A, whose overall winners will face runners-up in Group B for a place in the championship game.
The post Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire first appeared on Score Nigeria.
Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera hurdled their first test as a doubles pair, defeating Hong Kong’s Kallista Liu and Lai Ching Laam, 6-1, 6-3, in the opening round of the women’s doubles tournament at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday.
With the outdoor courts washed out by continuous rain, Eala and Rivera had their original schedule pushed back to the evening. The long delay, however, did little to disrupt their rhythm as they quickly took control of the match.
Eala, ranked No. 127 in the world in doubles, and Rivera, a standout at NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, needed little time to jell as a pair.
(C) POC Media
After their opponents held serve in the opening game, the Filipinas rattled off six straight games to take the first set in just 33 minutes.
The second set lasted a bit longer, but Eala and Rivera remained in control for most of the way to seal the victory at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.
The road ahead, however, will be considerably tougher in the second round. Eala and Rivera will face doubles specialists and third seeds Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan of China.
The 27-year-old Jiang is ranked No. 22 in the world in doubles and recently reached the Wimbledon semifinals. Then Yang, 31, has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 9 and has also reached the semifinals of the French Open.
Both Filipinas are also into the next round in their other competitions — Rivera with partner Francis Alcantara in mixed doubles, and Eala in the women’s singles.
The post Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
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