CITY OF SANTIAGO – Riding a wave of energy from an animated Santiago crowd witnessing its first-ever Premier Volleyball League action, PLDT rediscovered its winning touch, sweeping ZUS Coffee, 25-20, 25-18, 25-16, on Thursday to strengthen its semifinal drive in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series at the Santiago Sports Arena here.
The High Speed Hitters made the most of the occasion, feeding off the enthusiasm inside the 5,000-seat venue as they extended their winning streak to two games and pulled back into the thick of the Final Four race after a dismal 0-2 start.
PLDT’s 1-hour, 16-minute triumph was built on composure, depth and a timely burst of firepower, as the team weathered ZUS Coffee’s early resistance in the first two sets before taking complete control in the third.
Both opening frames followed a similar script, with the High Speed Hitters emerging from tight, back-and-forth exchanges to deliver decisive finishing runs. Once they had secured a two-set cushion, they wasted little time asserting their dominance, racing to leads of 8-3, 10-5 and 13-8 in the third set before closing out the Thunderbelles by nine points.
The result underscored a marked improvement in PLDT’s execution, with deputy coach Arnold Laniog drawing valuable contributions from both his starters and the bench. Nearly everyone found a way to make an impact, whether through scoring or the less conspicuous but equally important work that kept the team organized and in control.
That collective effort proved crucial against a ZUS Coffee side whose size and defensive presence at the net initially made life difficult for the High Speed Hitters.
Savi Davison, in particular, had to work through the Thunderbelles’ determined net defense before finding her rhythm and finishing with 13 points to lead PLDT’s balanced attack.
“ZUS Coffee had very good athletes in the middle of the court, and it’s our job to work around it,” said Davison. “So I’m glad that we kind of set it up properly and that we came out strong and, you know, we came up to the challenge.”
PLDT certainly rose to the occasion. By the third set, its offense was firing on all cylinders, while ZUS Coffee struggled to match the pace and power, scrambling to keep rallies alive as the High Speed Hitters steadily pulled away.
The victory was especially important for PLDT, which had opened its campaign with shutout losses to Nxled and Akari before bouncing back with a four-set win over Capital1 and Thursday’s straight-set conquest of the Thunderbelles.
The back-to-back victories lifted the High Speed Hitters to a 2-2 record and gave them renewed momentum heading into a crucial showdown with the Creamline Cool Smashers on Nov. 5 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
“We will try our best in every game and hopefully keep this streak going,” said Davison.
Reflecting on the team’s turnaround after its shaky start, she added: “We thought we had to come up strong here and kind of take this game, so I’m glad that momentum is rolling and we’re really doing well.”
With their confidence returning and contributions coming from across the roster, the two-time league champions now have fresh reason to believe they can sustain their push for a semifinal berth – a welcome development for a team that has found its footing just as the race begins to intensify.
Kim Dy finished with eight points while Dell Palomata and Jessa Ordiales matched six-point outputs as PLDT out-attacked ZUS Coffee, 44-29.
Zam Nolasco came away with nine points, while AC Miner had five and Chai Troncoso added four for the Thunderbelles, who fell to 0-3.
The High Speed Hitters showed their depth early, leaning on their double substitutes midway through the opening set to break away from a tight 19-18 count and secure a five-point victory.
It was more of the same in Set 2, but with a fresh group of starters, ZUS Coffee looked re-energized. The Thunderbelles seized control early, only to squander a three-point lead and find themselves trailing by three at 15-18 following a Jovelyn Gonzaga attack error.
PLDT stretched its advantage to four behind a thunderous kill from Davison before ZUS Coffee snapped the spell with consecutive points off Gonzaga’s counter-attacks.
However, Palomata shut down Gonzaga’s bid for a repeat, halting the Thunderbelles' surge and sparking a lethal finishing kick for the High Speed Hitters. PLDT outdid its first-set closeout by rattling off four straight points, fueled by back-to-back scores from Davison, including a emphatic rejection of Gonzaga, and capped by a sharp crosscourt kill.
Nolasco briefly kept ZUS Coffee alive, saving a set point by converting a misset into a quick point. But PLDT didn't even need to attack to close it out as Gonzaga misfired on her serve, failing to clear the net and handing PLDT a commanding 2-0 match lead.
