PLDT slammed the door on Nxled’s hopes of a breakthrough, delivering a ruthless straight-set sweep, 25-22, 25-21, 25-20, to close Pool A of the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference with back-to-back victories Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Savannah Davison — inspired by the presence of her mother Barbara, who watched her play live for the first time in two years — led the charge with 19 points. She put up 14 attacks, three kill blocks, and two aces, while also contributing 10 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions for the High Speed Hitters.
PLDT finished the opening round on top of Pool A with a 4-1 record, edging Farm Fresh via superior set ratio.
(C) PVL Images
The High Speed Hitters will now join the Foxies in Pool D, where they will face the bottom three teams from Pool B in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Russian import Anastasiia Bavykina added 10 points and nine excellent receptions. Dell Palomata contributed seven markers as the High Speed Hitters kept the Chameleons winless in five games.
Kim Fajardo was limited to just 12 excellent sets, while team captain Kath Arado registered 10 excellent digs in the one-hour, 31-minute victory.
“Yung unang reminders, ‘yung mindset going to this game na kailangan namin matuto na hindi maulit ‘yung slow start nung natalo namin. Hindi rin naman ibibigay ni Nxled, knowing nga na ‘yung import nila gumagana na rin,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort.
“So, ‘yung mindset din na kailangan maging patient, lalo kung paano mabawasan ‘yung production nung import ng Nxled. Buti nagka-tugma tugma naman. Lamang pa rin sila sa attack pero na-capitalize namin ‘yung naging errors nila kaya nakakaiwan sa dulo,” he added.
The High Speed Hitters took advantage of Nxled’s 24 errors to maintain control throughout the match and cruise to a straight-set victory that sealed their spot atop Pool A in the league backed by ICTSI, Milcu, Mikasa, and Fabriano.
(C) PVL Images
On the other hand, the Chameleons — who still hold a slim chance of advancing to the quarterfinals — now face a must-win situation in Pool C after finishing with a 0-5 slate.
Spanish reinforcement Paola Martinez once again shouldered the scoring load with 29 points, coming from 25 attacks, two blocks, and two aces.
However, the local support struggled for consistency. Chiara Permentilla was the next best scorer with just seven points, while Krich Macaslang, Mayang Nuique, and Lyann De Guzman added three apiece.
