Cignal loss is Capital1 gain
MANILA, Philippines — Capital1 acquired two of the country's highly sought free agents in former PVL MVPs Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos from the disbanded Cignal to shore up its contender bid in the next PVL season in July.
After days of speculations, the Solar Spikers on Thursday formalized the signing of the blue chip recruits to form a lethal troika of wingers now with No. 1 rookie pick and three-time UAAP MVP Bella Belen. Also in is former NXLED setter Jaja Maraguinot as Capital1 doubled down on its seriousness to slug it out with the PVL's big guns only in its second year.
"This is the beginning of a new story in Capital1. We had this dream with my sister Mandy two years ago when we joined the PVL and it's part of a long journey. Welcoming experienced veterans is what we need to put an exclamation point to the purpose of the team, which is to win a championship along the way," said team owner Milka Romero yesterday during the official launch at the Gameville Ball Park, also the team's official partner, in Mandaluyong.
Capital1, as an expansion squad, struggled as cellar-dweller in its first season before landing the top pick in last season’s draft, which it used to select arguably the greatest collegiate player of all time in Belen from National University. With Belen in, Capital1 improved significantly with a pair of quarterfinal finishes.
And she'll not be alone this time around as Capital1, with still a projected Top-5 pick in next month's Rookie Draft, positions itself to the forefront of the league with now three of the top scorers on its stable.
For Belen, it's a good problem to have amid questions on how they will all share the ball on the court.
"Hindi siya problem for us. Volleyball is a team effort so mas maraming makakapuntos, mas madali para sa team. I'm very happy kasi kilala naman natin sina ate Vanie at ate Erika. We're very excited kung anong mabubuo naming dynamics at kung paano kami magge-gel at magco-complement sa isa't-isa. We're excited sa panibagong yugto ng Capital 1," said Belen, joined by teammates Leila Cruz, Ponggay Gaston and Roma Mae Doromal.
Asked if they'e enough though to bring Capital1 over the hump for a possible shot at the championship, the three recruits toned it down, reiterating that it would not be an overnight success.
"Our goal is not to reach the end right away. Our goal is to focus on the process. I have no doubt in this team that we'll get there one step at a time. I'm not sure about the timeline of a championship but I know one day, we'll get there. For now, we''ll enjoy building this team together," vowed Gandler, who just won the 2026 All-Filipino Conference MVP for the HD Spikers after their runner-up finish to Creamline before a surprise disbandment.
"Syempre po, there's a lot of expectations pero hindi naman siya basta-basta. Pagta-trabuhahan po namin ito. We'll help in any ways we can to reach the goal. We're here para matulungan maging strong contender ang Capital1," added Santos, the 2025 PVL on Tour MVP.
With Belen, Gandler and Santos on the wings, Capital1 is banking on new playmaker Maraguinot to engineer a well-oiled offense.
"It's not easy pero I'm thankful for Capital1. They gave me this opportunity and it will be a process. I'm ready to face the challenges," said Maraguinot, who's coming off a year-long hiatus after parting ways with NXLED last season.
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