PLDT Hitters salvage podium honors

MANILA, Philippines — Counting their blessings.

That was how the PLDT High Speed Hitters relished a third-place finish in the PVL Invitational, repeating over the Creamline Cool Smashers, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It wasn’t as big and glorious as winning the title in this same conference last year, but a second straight bronze – at the expense of the 11-time champion – would suffice.

“We’re very happy for the last two conferences we managed to finish third,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort, whose other podium came in the All-Filipino earlier this year.

PLDT beat Creamline, the reigning All-Filipino champion, not just once but twice in three nights – the first in a five-set thriller that denied the Cool Smashers a trip to the finals.

With that, PLDT denied Creamline what would have been a 21st podium finish in 22 conferences. Instead, Creamline stays at 20 trophies, following its second-worst finish in franchise history after placing sixth in last year’s Reinforced.

The setback was made more painful as the Cool Smashers couldn’t maximize the brief stint of Sachi Minowa, who is on a short leash with the team before leaving to play for a club in the United States later this year.

For PLDT, it was about flipping the switch after missing a shot at a title defense following a loss to Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Federation in the eliminations.

Savi Davison spewed fire again with a match-high 29 points, just two days after detonating a career-high 37 in that five-set escape. Jovie Prado provided the X-factor with 12 hits, most coming in the last two sets when PLDT rallied from three points down to steal both sets and the match.

Earlier, Farm Fresh repeated over Ho Chi Minh City, 25-10, 25-15, 25-15, to secure fifth place.

Determined to end on a strong note, the Foxies broke away from a tight 9-8 contest in the opening set with a blistering 10-1 run to pull away, 19-9. Trisha Tubu set the tone with 10 of her 14 points in that frame alone.

Farm Fresh sustained the momentum in the next two sets to wrap up the match in just 67 minutes.

Ces Molina matched Tubu with 14 points, adding eight excellent receptions and seven digs. Jonna Perdido and Riri Meneses chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively. Setter Alohi Robins-Hardy orchestrated the offense with 12 excellent sets and two points, while Buding Duremdes anchored the floor with 12 excellent digs.

The Foxies, who also beat the Vietnamese side in four sets last Aug. 31, finished the Invitational with a renewed outlook.

“I appreciate the Ho Chi Minh team. This tournament, my team saw no good result. First, I think we need to change the volleyball style. After the last PVL conference with imports, all teams made a difference in team style,” said Farm Fresh head coach Koji Tsuzurabara, who previously led the now-disbanded Petro Gazz Angels to the 2024-25 All-Filipino title.

“Last year’s PVL volleyball and this year’s PVL volleyball style are different. So we need more practice, and we need to react to the new volleyball. We have to look for a new style. One year ago versus now – it’s a big difference.”