PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort made sure the High Speed Hitters stayed focused on the task at hand before their much-anticipated rematch with Akari in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
Ricafort shared that the coaching staff gathered the players before the match, reminding them to keep their emotions in check and channel their energy toward securing their goal of winning.
“Basta naging advice sa amin, tinanong kami kanina kung ano ang feeling ng players eh kung may dagdag motivation o wala. Ang ni-remind lang sa kanila kung ano man yung extra na yun i-make sure lang na yung focus hindi mawawala,” Ricafort said.
“Mas doon talaga nakaroon eh yung improvement namin saka yung task at hand na yung game nga namin,” he added.
This marked the first time the High Speed Hitters and the Chargers faced off since their heated semifinal matchup in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference last August.
A point away from securing their first-ever finals appearance in the league’s professional era, PLDT called for a mid-rally net challenge on Akari’s Ezra Madrigal, which was eventually ruled unsuccessful.
The High Speed Hitters filed a protest, but it had no merit as though there was a net touch, there was no net fault, and the Chargers retained their win, advancing to the finale where they were swept by eventual champion Creamline.
Nearly five months later, PLDT got sweet revenge, securing a dominant 25-22, 25-16, 25-15 victory that snapped a two-game losing skid and improved their record to 4-2.
“Siguro naging basis namin siya kung anuman ang naging level namin last conference. Mas tiningnan namin siya as kailangan naming i-level up pa kasi hanggang dun lang kami umabot last conference,” Ricafort said.
“Hindi naman siya negative all throughout pero mas tiningnan siya as natutulungan kaming mas gumaling lalo dahil sa level na ire-require sa amin. And yun ang dinadala ni Akari rin all throughout, nag-i-improve every conference at saka nakakadamay kasi yung ganun eh na dahil umaangat ang level ng mga teams kailangan sumabay ka rin lagi,” he continued.
(C) PVL Images
For her part, Majoy Baron, who played a key role in the lopsided win with 11 points, emphasized that the incident was now behind them. She chose to focus on executing the game plan and fulfilling her role to help secure the victory.
“Hindi ko naman dinadala kung ano ‘yung nangyari last year kasi iba naman ‘yung composition ng team ngayon. We’re just focused nga du’n sa task and we treat each game na same lang and level lang ‘yung emotions kasi gusto namin talaga na focused lang kami and magagawa namin ‘yung job namin sa loob ng court,” said the 5-foot-11 middle blocker.
With the incident fully in the past, the High Speed Hitters are now focused on sustaining their momentum and continuing to build on their strengths as they aim for the championship.
“Yun lang ulit, katulad ng mga previous wins namin, at least nakaka-prepare kami na may good momentum, positive momentum. Yun yung challenge ng conference eh, yung ma-manage namin yung schedule, yung rest, and preparation for the next game,” Ricafort said.
“Enough naman ang araw, sadyang kailangan lang namin mag-move on regardless kung ano ang result para maka-focus agad kami sa next game.”
