Erin Pangilinan relished facing former NU teammate Sheena Toring in Cignal’s shock win over Creamline

National University standouts Erin Pangilinan and Sheena Toring faced off for the first time in their careers during the Cignal HD Spikers’ 25–22, 25–18, 28–26 victory over the Creamline Cool Smashers at the FilOil EcoOil Arena on Tuesday, July 1.

Having been teammates in high school and college, this was Pangilinan’s and Toring’s first-ever duel in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). Pangilinan came out on top against her good friend, making an important contribution off the bench as Cignal stunned Creamline.

Pangilinan was not only facing her former teammate but also her former NU coach, Sherwin Meneses, and revealed after the game that she had nerves but relished the opportunity.

“Going up against Coach Sherwin and Sheena, it was honestly nerve-wracking at first since they are my former coach and teammate. It was the same with the rest of Creamline, since NU used to train with them before. It was nerve-wracking, but at the same time, it was exciting to experience this level of play in the pros. I’m just really happy that I was able to perform well against them,” Pangilinan said in a media interaction.

Notably, Pangilinan got the opportunity to return to her original position in the middle after playing as an opposite spiker in Cignal’s first two games in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

ERIN THE SPOTLIGHT

Straight off the bench, rookie Erin Pangilinan seals the deal with the set-winning point, pushing the Cignal HD Spikers ahead of the Akari Chargers in Set 2 of the 2025 PVL on Tour!#PVL2025 #TheHeartofVolleyball pic.twitter.com/o52RsP4urF

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 22, 2025

“Whenever I’m given a challenge, I see it as an opportunity because that’s exactly why they picked me in the draft—because they need me. So I have to perform. No matter what position I’m asked to play, I need to be ready because this is the role I wanted, and I have to be ready for it. I need to give 100 percent for the team,” she added.

Toring, meanwhile, was thrilled to face her former collegiate teammate in a professional setup but admitted that while disappointed, they will do everything in their power to bounce back from the loss.

“I felt a bit different at first. But at the same time, the way Erin plays at NU is the same way she’s playing now at Cignal. Her competitiveness is really there. I was disappointed because I really tried to contribute as a rookie, but there’s a lesson in this loss. We will take this as a lesson, and I hope we can improve more in the next game,” Toring stated.

Creamline, on the other hand, struggled to find rhythm throughout the match. Michele Gumabao was the only Cool Smashers player to reach double digits in scoring with 11 points and seven digs, while Alyssa Valdez and Jema Galanza were limited to nine and eight points, respectively.

Cignal now tops Pool A with a perfect 3–0 record and will look to extend their winning streak when they face the Chery Tiggo Crossovers after a long break on Saturday, July 19, at the City of Passi Arena.

Creamline, now with a 2–1 record, sits in second place in Pool A and will aim to bounce back against the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles on the same date and venue.

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