PLDT broke the trend of reversals that characterized Tuesday's matches in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference, asserting its dominance over winless ZUS Coffee with a convincing 25-18, 25-14, 25-12 victory at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig late Tuesdsay.
The win propelled the High Speed Hitters into the quarterfinal round.
Elena Samoilenko led the charge with 14 points, while Majoy Baron stepped up to fire 13 markers, highlighted by four kill blocks, as the High Speed Hitters controlled the match from the outset, wrapping up the one-hour and 17-minute contest.
This victory tied PLDT with Cignal HD in second place with identical 5-1 records, trailing only undefeated Akari at 6-0.
With the win, PLDT, Cignal and Akari have secured their spots in the knockout quarterfinal round.
Meanwhile, Creamline, Chery Tiggo and Capital1 are closing in on the remaining quarterfinal berths, each holding 4-2 records. Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho bolstered their bids earlier in the day with five-set thrillers against Creamline and Chery Tiggo, respectively.
The Angels evened their record at 3-3, moving into the No. 7 spot, while the Flying Titans tied the Farm Fresh Foxies at eighth with 2-4 slates.
"Just stay focused on training so that our game will show, especially for those who push themselves every day," said Baron in Filipino, who earned top honors in the game. "We're in the process of refining our movements.”
"The upcoming games are very unpredictable, so we want to stay focused on how we perform," Baron emphasized.
After witnessing favored teams like Creamline and Chery Tiggo fall to struggling opponents, PLDT wasted no time imposing their will on ZUS Coffee.
The High Speed Hitters seized commanding leads early in each set, never allowing the Thunderbelles a chance to recover. Dominating the first two sets with superior firepower (47-27) and a relentless net defense (9-3 in blocks), the High Speed Hitters cruised to an 18-9 lead in the third set before trading points to sustaining their attack to complete the sweep.
ZUS Coffee, now at 0-6, is virtually out of the quarterfinal race, joining Galeries Tower at the bottom of the standings.
The fight for the final quarterfinal spot now comes down to Petro Gazz, Choco Mucho, and Farm Fresh. Nxled, with a 1-5 record, faces a daunting task: it must win all its remaining four games and hope that at least one of the other contenders fails to surpass five wins to stay in contention.
Mika Reyes contributed nine points, while Kiesha Bedonia chipped in with seven markers, with six additional players combining for 16 points to bolster the High Speed Hitters' offense.
Samoilenko also showcased her defensive skills, notching six excellent receptions and eight digs, providing solid support to libero Kath Arado, who led the defense with 19 excellent digs.
Asaka Tamaru led ZUS Coffee with 13 points, but the team struggled to find additional firepower, with Dolly Verzosa and Ypria Tapia managing just five points each.
