As the first half of the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference unfolded, PLDT found themselves in an all-too-familiar position—relying heavily on Savi Davison to carry the load, with little support from the rest of the team.
Despite a promising start to the season, the High Speed Hitters' offense has become a glaring issue that the team will need to address during the month-long break before action resumes on January 18, 2025.
The High Speed Hitters began their campaign with high hopes, securing three straight wins over Nxled, Galeries, and Capital1—the bottom three teams in the standings.
It seemed like PLDT was cruising, but the tides turned as they faced the more formidable Chery Tiggo Crossovers and Petro Gazz Angels.
After back-to-back losses, PLDT ended the year with a 3-2 record, sitting at solo fifth in the standings.
In those defeats, Davison stood out as the lone beacon of hope for the team, contributing massive individual performances. Against the Angels, she put up 28 points, with 12 receptions and nine digs, a commendable stat line that would typically assure a win.
However, the lack of offensive production from her teammates, particularly wing spikers Erika Santos and Fiola Ceballos, who only managed eight points each, proved costly.
Meanwhile, Petro Gazz had three players in double figures—Brooke Van Sickle (21), Myla Pablo (19), and Jonah Sabete (17)—making it clear where the gap in production lay.
"Before naman magstart yun na yung sinabi kong magiging role ni Savi na magproduce ng ganyang points," said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort. "Ang nagiging struggle lang talaga namin numbers-wise, walang makasabay sa ineexpect na support na numbers."
The same trend played out in their loss to the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, where Davison exploded for 27 points, but Santos and Ceballos only managed 13 and six points, respectively. The Crossovers, in contrast, had four players in double digits, underlining the importance of a balanced offense in competitive volleyball.
But the issue for the High Speed Hitters goes deeper than just a lack of scoring support. Despite having a solid roster, PLDT has been struggling to find cohesion, leaving the coaching staff to pinpoint the underlying issues.
According to Ricafort, the team’s composition is there, but external factors—such as pressure—have hindered the players from reaching their full potential.
“Ang frustrating siguro sa part namin, nandoon na halos eh lineup-wise and potential-wise kaya naman talaga dapat makasabay pero may mga factors na hindi namin macontrol na nagpapababa," Ricafort shared.
"Hindi ko alam kung sa pressure o kung ano man. Nanghinayang lang kami sa part gaya kanina, katulad din ng Chery, alam naman na kaya pero kapag hindi makasabay, kinakapos pa rin sa dulo.”
