MANILA -- Vanie Gandler is quickly proving that her stellar rookie season in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is no fluke.

In Cignal's first game of the 2024 All-Filipino Conference last Saturday, the former Ateneo star spiker picked up right where she left off, tallying a game-high 19 points on 17 attacks, one ace, and one block to help the HD Spikers edge the reloaded Akari Chargers in four sets.

In a team bannered by veterans like former PVL Most Valuable Player Ces Molina and top off-season recruit Dawn Macandili-Catindig, it was the young Gandler who quickly proved her worth from the get-go, despite being rested in the game's waning moments.

"It feels good, of course, because our preparation time was very short, but I'm happy that the team was able to come together," said the Cignal rising star after their 21-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-18 victory over Akari at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

"After the first set, it's normal first-game jitters. but I could see how much we all want it."

READ: Cignal turns back Akari in 4 sets for first win

For her standout performance, Gandler was awarded by the newly-formed PVL Press Corps as the 2024 season's first Player of the Week for the period of February 20 to 24.

She edged out Creamline's Tots Carlos, PLDT's Savie Davison, Chery Tiggo's Mylene Paat, Petro Gazz's Nicole Tiamzon, and Choco Mucho's Mars Alba for the weekly award deliberated upon by reporters regularly covering the PVL beat.

Showing that she has a mindset of a veteran, the 23-year-old Gandler is bracing for bigger challenges in the future as she carves a path to stardom.

"Personally for me, now that I've played two conferences, I know that the teams are going to really scout me more, so I really have to think outside the box and level up from here," she continued.

"As a team, I'm sure teams are also gonna scout us. That's a challenge, of course. We're just 14 awesome, so, you know, [we need to] stay healthy. It's everyone's biggest obstacle."

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