Already out of contention, dethroned champion PLDT dragged Creamline down with it after eking out a thrilling 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12 victory to close the 2026 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference elimination round on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The High Speed Hitters were already bound for the bronze medal match following Nxled’s win over Farm Fresh earlier in the day. Still, they played spoiler and effectively eliminated the Cool Smashers from the finals race with the come-from-behind victory.
With the result, the Chameleons claimed the final spot in the championship match, edging out Creamline and PLDT on points after all three teams finished the elimination round tied at 3-2.
The High Speed Hitters, meanwhile, have booked another clash with the Cool Smashers — this time for the bronze medal.
(C) PVL Images
“Nakakapagod. Medyo ganun talaga ‘yung magiging takbo. ‘Yun nga, unfortunately, ‘yung gusto sana namin na for finals hindi nakuha. Pero mindset ng players saka ng team, walang pipiliing laro pa rin,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort.
“Lalo with Creamline, syempre very challenging talaga sila kalaban. Nillalabas talaga nila ‘yung laro ng bawat isa sa amin, so kukunin at kukunin pa rin namin itong panalong ‘to tapos paghahandaan namin sila sa Tuesday,” he added.
The High Speed Hitters needed a huge performance from Fil-Canadian spiker Savannah Davison, and she delivered. Davison posted a career-high 37-point explosion — just one shy of tying Tots Carlos’ record for the most points by a local player in a single match — built on 35 attacks and two blocks.
She also turned in a well-rounded performance, finishing with 24 excellent digs and 18 excellent receptions in the two-hour, 23-minute victory.
Jovie Prado provided an all-around effort for PLDT with 14 points and 14 excellent receptions, while Kianna Dy also tallied 14 markers. Mika Reyes chipped in 11 points, including five kill blocks, and Majoy Baron added eight markers.
Kim Fajardo orchestrated the offense with 27 excellent sets, then Kath Arado anchored the floor defense with 29 excellent digs.
(C) PVL Images
After falling behind in the fourth set, the High Speed Hitters refused to fold, fighting back to force a decider.
With the fifth set deadlocked at 5-all, PLDT finally broke the game open. The team rode Prado’s clutch three-point run while capitalizing on a string of Creamline errors to seize control.
For a team accustomed to thriving in pressure-packed finishes, the Cool Smashers suddenly looked uncharacteristically rattled when the match reached its most crucial stretch.
Three more errors allowed the High Speed Hitters to pull away, with Mika Reyes’ rejection of Tots Carlos giving PLDT a 12-7 cushion.
A PLDT net violation followed by a Jaja Santiago-Minowa block on Reyes gave Creamline a much-needed lifeline, cutting the deficit to 9-12. But the High Speed Hitters remained composed.
Dy drilled an attack before finding the floor again with an off-the-block hit to put PLDT on match point.
Creamline fended off the first opportunity when Davison missed on a push, and Minowa denied Dy following a long, tense exchange.
Jaja Santiago-Minowa saved another match point with another off-the-block strike, but Davison — who had been virtually unstoppable all night with attacks from every angle, including the back row — finally put the match away. She hit a perfectly timed drop shot that caught the Creamline defense flat-footed.
The Cool Smashers, who had a chance to close out the match in four sets, were led by Santiago-Minowa with 25 points on 15 attacks, nine blocks, and one ace. Jema Galanza backstopped her with a two-way effort of 25 points, 16 digs, and 16 receptions.
