Savi Davison erupted for 32 points as PLDT pumped some life into its dwindling back-to-back title hopes with a 25-16, 25-22, 23-25, 25-20 victory over Farm Fresh in the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Friday.
The High Speed Hitters picked up a crucial win to level their record at 2-2 and move to solo third, snapping a two-game skid against the Nxled Chameleons and the Ho Chi Minh City club.
PLDT must now beat Creamline in its final elimination-round game on Sunday to further boost its Finals aspirations while hoping for favorable results in the other games.
(C) PVL Images
“Yung defending champion na title, hindi siya relevant sa amin this conference kasi na-re-reverse hype lang kami. Lalo lang kaming na-di-distract. Mas important sa amin yung naka-respond kami galing sa Nxled and Vietnam na talo na mabigat talaga for us, kasi wala talaga siyang time maka-recover, lalo mentally,” said High Speed Hitters head coach Rald Ricafort.
With Farm Fresh still within striking distance late in the fourth set at 18-20, PLDT turned to its wing spikers in Davison, Alleiah Malaluan, and Jessey De Leon to finish the job, closing out the match on a 5-2 run after two hours and four minutes.
The High Speed Hitters trailed by as many as six points in the third frame but rallied to make it a down-to-the-wire set. Then Ces Molina’s off-the-block hit extended the match for the Foxies, 25-23.
Davison delivered her second 30-point performance of the conference, finishing with 32 points on 28 attacks and four blocks while adding 14 excellent receptions and 10 digs.
Kim Dy chipped in 15 points, while Majoy Baron and Mika Reyes added eight and seven, respectively, in the win. Kath Arado also anchored PLDT’s defense with 24 excellent digs.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, Farm Fresh was eliminated from contention for a spot in the gold medal match after suffering its third straight loss to fall to 1-3 at the bottom of the standings.
Foxies head coach Koji Tsuzurabara could not find the right combination on the court, utilizing all but one of his 14 players. Molina and Royse Tubino led the way with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Trisha Tubu, a five-time PVL Best Opposite Spiker, was held to just five points through the first two sets before being benched for the third and fourth sets.
