By Adrian Stewart Co

Bacolodnon setter Maria Arielle Estrañero will form part of the Cignal HD Spikers team that will compete in the 2021 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference next month.

In a social media announcement on Thursday afternoon, the HD Spikers confirmed the signing of the former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons star setter to bolster their squad.

Estrañero, a former standout of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, come to terms with the HD Spikers after a two-year stint with Motolite Power Builders, which was disbanded due to pandemic.

Estrañero was part of the Lady Maroons’ Final Four run in 2016 and delivered the championship-clinching ace in their PVL Collegiate Conference 2018 that ended the school’s 36-year volleyball title drought.

During her five-year stint with the Fighting Maroons, Estrañero has played for multiple positions, including attacker and libero before being converted to setter by head coach Godfrey Okumu.

The 24-year-old Estrañero is the third Western Visayas-based player in the HD Spikers squad aside from former Central Philippine University stars Fiola Ceballos of Bingawan, Iloilo and Jovelyn Gonzaga of Guimaras.

Also in the HD Spikers lineup are Fil-Am setter Alohi Robins-Hardy; spikers Rachel Anne Daquis, May Luna and Janine Marciano; and middle blockers Ranya Musa and Roselyn Doria.

The HD Spikers are playing in the PVL for the first time since the team was formed during Philippine Superliga’s (PSL) inauguration eight years ago.

Cignal’s best finish in the PSL was a runner-up to F2 Logistics Cargo Movers in the 2019 All Filipino Conference and copped bronze in Invitationals.

Cignal will be one of the nine teams competing in the upcoming PVL season aside from defending champion Creamline, Petro Gazz, Perlas Spikers, BaliPure, Chef’s Classics, Choco Mucho, PLDT, and Peak Form./ASC, WDJ