PLDT High Speed Hitters emerged victorious in their game against Army-Black Mamba in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, winning in straight sets, 25-19, 25-12, 25-21, Thursday night at Philsports Arena.
This was a comeback for PLDT after their opening day loss.
Mean Mendrez was the top scorer for PLDT, contributing 11 points through nine successful attacks and two blocks. Dell Palomata also played a significant role in the team's success by adding nine points, including two blocks.
Jovie Prado, the team's middle blocker, also played well with nine points, 12 excellent digs, and 12 excellent receptions.
Kath Arado and Rhea Dimaculangan also put in commendable performances for PLDT, with Arado collecting 33 excellent digs and 14 excellent receptions while Dimaculangan contributed 18 excellent sets, two aces, and one attack.
The Lady Troopers actually pulled to within, 17-18, in the third set and stayed within striking distance at 21-23, but Jovie Prado unloaded a kill and Rhea Dimaculangan delivered an ace to complete the straight-set romp.
After the game, PLDT's new head coach Rald Ricafort expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, but he also acknowledged that there was still room for improvement.
He stated that the team's goal for each game was to improve and that he was happy that they had secured their first win in the tournament. However, he also acknowledged that the team had a lot of work to do before they could perform at the level they desired.
Ricafort also highlighted that the previous game was an opportunity for the team to learn and to correct their mistakes, which had helped them perform better in this game.
For Army-Black Mamba, Royse Tubino was the top scorer with eight points, and she also made five excellent receptions.
Nene Bautista had seven points and ten excellent digs. However, their efforts were not enough to prevent the team from losing their second consecutive game in the tournament.
This loss marked the 15th consecutive loss for the Lady Troopers since last year.
