MANILA, Philippines — Coach Shaq Delos Santos does not mind living two lives.
After leading the UST Golden Tigresses in the UAAP to a straight-set victory at the Mall of Asia Arena, Delos Santos rushed to the FilOil EcoOil Centre to coach the Cignal Super Spikers.
His marathon Saturday ended in a perfect sweep, as Cignal took down the Capital 1 Solar Spikers, 25-22, 25-21, 25-20, to clinch a spot in the qualifying round of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference.
Reflecting on the double-victory, Delos Santos called the day "extra special," having witnessed UST sweep FEU in the afternoon before securing Cignal's post-season berth in the evening.
"This day is so special. I didn't know what was going to happen this Saturday, but the good thing was our preparation and our skills. I’m really happy with how Cignal responded to our preparation; the result was great. It was just... really, really good,” he told the media.
But the head coach said that it’s tough to handle two different teams with different needs.
"I’m finally getting some proper sleep. To be honest, it’s really tough. They have different styles, different strategies, or whatever—even in how they react to the game plans.
“How do we do it? I guess it’s the commitment of everyone—the coaches and the players. Also the management, knowing they are always there for us. We really need to keep improving and work even harder."
Vanie Gandler led the charge for the Super Spikers with 23 points and Erika Santos’ 13-point outing.
Capital 1 banked on Bella Belen, who made 16 points in the match.
Cignal improved to a 6-2 win-loss card, while Capital 1 fell to 3-5.