Mean Mendrez has been playing with a minor knee injury in PLDT’s 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference campaign – making her miss some games.
Fortunately, though, the High Speed Hitters did not need her services on Saturday with their championship hopes at stake.
PLDT breezed past a fresh-from-five-setter F2 Logistics, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18, to stay alive in the six-team round-robin semifinals.
But if that game went down-the-wire, the University of the East product is good to go and ready to give her all.
“Si Mean lang ngayon medyo ninunurse yung tuhod, minor lang naman pero nago-on off talaga,” shared head coach Rald Ricafort.
“Kanina ready to go siya kung kailanganin buti na lang din kinaya nung nasa loob kaya more rest sa kanya.”
New addition Royse Tubino was at the forefront of PLDT’s attack with 20 big points built on 18 attacks, a block, and a service aces.
Fiola Ceballos, who filled the role of Mendrez in the starting lineup, made sure to deliver with nine points on 8-of-18 attacks.
The High Speed Hitters improved to 1-2 in the semifinals and now need to win their games against foreign teams for at least a shot at the two final tickets.
They will face Kinh Bac Bac Ninh of Vietnam on Monday before meeting Kurashiki Ablaze of Japan on Thursday.
With the compact schedule of the tournament and games close to each other, Ricafort said in this round, it will all boil down to the mental game.
He shared that their past on-court training has only been for one and a half hour, citing the players’ need of rest and recovery.
“Yung semis na ito more on mental na talaga aside sa physical. Ireready lang talaga yung mindset ng players na yung pasensya saka yung tiyagaan na ganito yung schedule,” said Ricafort, who also handles University of the Philippines’ men’s volleyball squad.
“Crucial yung nood mamaya pero kung ano man yung makuha doon plus yung aayusin lalo yung game namin against Cignal hindi namin talaga marecover yung pangit na laro yun,” he added as Kinh Bac and Kurashiki will go head-to-head later at 6:30 p.m.
