When the dust settled and the reinforcements had taken their positions, PLDT's playmaker Kim Fajardo shifted her focus to the middle.
Majoy Baron stepped into the spotlight alongside Elena Samoilenko, delivering crucial points through quick attacks and a pivotal block in Set 5 that helped secure a thrilling 25-23, 25-27, 15-25, 25-18, 15-9 victory over Chery Tiggo.
The hard-fought, two-hour and 19-minute battle, held before an enthusiastic crowd at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan on Tuesday, advanced the High Speed Hitters to the semifinals of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference and paved the way for a highly anticipated semifinal showdown against the unbeaten Akari Chargers on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Cignal, the second semifinalist, awaits the victor of the ongoing Creamline-Petro Gazz clash for another electrifying Last 4 matchup.
“Heading into this game, I told the team that we deserved our position today, that our hard work brought us to the quarters,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort.
He also praised the team’s recent four-set victory over Choco Mucho, saying, “Even in non-bearing games, we give it our all because we want to instill a culture where every match matters.”
While Samoilenko engaged in a fierce exchange with Kath Bell, delivering three consecutive kills to lift the High Speed Hitters from a precarious 10-9 lead to a more comfortable 13-9 in the decider, Baron came through with a crucial block off Bell that was pivotal. It not only preserved Samoilenko’s game-long brilliance but also pushed PLDT to match point.
Samoilenko then sealed the win with a block on Mylene Paat’s desperate attempt to extend the match, sparking a wild celebration among the High Speed Hitters, who had previously faltered against the Crossovers.
In their elimination round encounter last Aug. 3, PLDT had also rallied from a 1-2 set deficit to force a decider but ran out of steam and lost. Their latest face-off mirrored this previous match, with Chery Tiggo seizing a 2-1 set lead only to succumb to another PLDT comeback in the fourth set.
“Yung composure that was lacking in our first match with Chery Tiggo, lumabas ngayon,” said Ricafort.
Samoilenko finished with 37 points, just three shy of Bell’s monstrous 40-point performance. However, the Russian reinforcement received solid support from Fiola Ceballos, who scored 12 points; Baron, who added nine; Kiesha Bedonia, who chipped in eight; and Reyes and Erika Santos, who contributed seven and six points, respectively.
“I’m happy; all the girls showed their best game,” said Samoilenko, who also had 15 excellent receptions.
Fajardo also played a key role, finishing with 23 excellent sets and masterfully outwitting Chery Tiggo’s defense by involving everyone in the attack.
Ceballos, meanwhile, rounded out her splendid performance with eight excellent digs and 14 receptions.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Crossovers, who had appeared to be in control of the match only to crumble under the pressure of the High Speed Hitters’ strong fourth-set rally and the combined brilliance of Samoilenko and Baron in the fifth.
Galang backed up Bell with 12 points, while Seth Rodriguez, Paat, and Pauline Gaston contributed nine, eight, and seven points, respectively.
After four deadlocks and two lead changes in the fifth set, PLDT surged to a 7-4 lead with Baron accounting for three key points. Chery Tiggo fought back and narrowed the gap to 7-8, but a clutch point ended agonizingly for the Crossovers as Galang suffered an injury during a net violation following a long, heated exchange of hits and digs.
After Shaya Adorador and Reyes traded hits, Samoilenko took over, converting all of Fajardo’s feeds, including a smartly executed shot that eluded two blockers, giving PLDT a 13-9 cushion and sealing the match.
