By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The PLDT High-Speed Hitters will aim to share the top seed lead with the Akari Chargers if they pass their test with flying colors against the Galeries Tower Highrisers today, at 6:30 PM, in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference.
Coming off an impressive four-set win over the NXLED Chameleons last November 12, 2024, the High-Speed Hitters look to sustain their firepower and extend their undefeated PVL record to 2-0.
It was a balanced scoring effort for PLDT during their opening win as they received double-digit scoring performances from Savannah Davison, Erika Santos, Majoy Baron, Dell Palomata, and Fiola Ceballos.
After missing the past conference due to an injury, Davison finally returned for the High-Speed Hitters and played as if she never left, leading PLDT with a 19-point tally in their win over NXLED.
Despite a slow start, Davison quickly picked up her hitting rhythm midway through the first set and energized PLDT with back-to-back back row spikes and a cross-court kill.
Davison’s personal scoring run steered the High-Speed Hitters’ momentum-clinching 8-3 offensive snowball, en route to a convincing total team effort for the four-set win.
With the veteran core of Baron, Santos, Palomata, and Mika Reyes still intact, PLDT will seek to bounce back from the import-laced conference and finally get past their post-season slump this All-Filipino.
On the other hand, Galeries are yet to enter the PVL winning column in two games and already addressed their hunger for a victory heading into their matchup against PLDT.
The Highrisers are fresh off an intense five-set thriller against the Choco Mucho Flying Titans and had chances to pull off the upset but fell short in the clutch stretch of the deciding set.
Dragging the reigning silver medalists to a fifth set was already called as a positive outcome by the Galeries coaching staff, and they are looking to topple their performance when they meet with PLDT and gun for their first win.
