By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The PLDT High-Speed Hitters extended their undefeated record in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference after blanking the NXLED Chameleons, 32-30, 25-18, 25-17, on July 30, 2024, at the Philsports Arena.
NXLED nearly bagged the opening period after they clinched a set-point, 30-29, following a defensive clinic that neutralized the attack of PLDT.
However, just when the Chameleons thought that they were so close, the High-Speed Hitters banked on the clutch offensive hits of Fiola Ceballos and their import Elena Samoilenko that helped PLDT seal the first set in a come-from-behind fashion.
After the momentum-boosting win in the opening set, the High-Speed Hitters never looked back and scored two more set wins to complete the 3-0 victory.
Samoilenko was again in the zone for PLDT as she exploded for 20 big points derived from 19 successful attacks.
Aside from her scoring prowess, Samoilenko also helped in the floor defense department and tallied a total of nine excellent receptions which played a huge boost in the last two sets.
Backstopping Samoilenko was Erika Santos who played her best game of the import-laced conference so far after dropping 19 markers built from 15 successful attacks.
What highlighted Santos’ outing was her four points coming from kill blocks, a department that she dominated for the High-Speed Hitters.
“Trabaho lang talaga every game. Kung san kami dalin ng trabaho. Kung manalo, eh di bonus samin, kung hindi, trabaho padin kung saan kami abutan. Siguro dun muna talaga,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort after the win.
The High-Speed Hitters joined the Cignal HD Spikers and the Akari Chargers as the only unbeaten franchises in the PVL Reinforced Conference.
Challenging PLDT in their next game are the members of the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the last game of a scheduled triple-header on August 3, 2024.
