Savi Davison took over in crunch time as PLDT showed resilience against a determined Farm Fresh side to inch closer to the bronze, 22-25, 25-21, 27-25, 26-28, 15-11, in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 27-year-old Fil-Canadian spiker scored four points in the High Speed Hitters’ 5-1 closing run to pull away from a 10-all deadlock.
Davison sparked the finishing kick with a solid denial on Foxies star Trisha Tubu before following it up with a down-the-line hit. She then blocked Tubu again before hammering her 33rd and final point of the match on a powerful crosscourt spike that sealed the win after two hours and 17 minutes.
(C) PVL Images
“I think we’ve had a pretty tough journey leading up throughout the playoffs. So, we really came into this game really wanting it. You know, really wanting to redeem ourselves,” said Davison, who finished with 33 points built on 30 attacks and three blocks.
The High Speed Hitters are eyeing a return to the podium after settling for fourth place in the last Reinforced Conference.
PLDT will look to complete a sweep of the battle-for-third series on Thursday at 3:00 PM still at the Big Dome, while Farm Fresh seeks to force a deciding match.
“Sobrang hirap talaga… Siyempre credits pa rin kay Farm, kay coach Koji and sa mga players nila. Talagang gusto rin, wala naman din siguro silang pressure na hinahabol since nakuha nila ‘yung goal na makapasok ng semis. Sa part namin, happy na nalaban namin despite na ganun kahirap and maraming challenges,” said Ricafort.
(C) PVL Images
PLDT was on the verge of finishing the match in the fourth set, 21-16, but Trisha Tubu, Ces Molina, and Riri Meneses led Farm Fresh’s 12-5 comeback to steal the set and force a deciding fifth frame, 28-26.
While Davison stood out, her teammates also delivered. Kim Fajardo orchestrated the offense with 36 excellent sets, alongside two points of her own.
Meanwhile, Kianna Dy added 16 points on 12 spikes, three blocks, and an ace. Mika Reyes also stepped up with 13 points, including back-to-back hits that secured the third set and a 2-1 advantage for the High Speed Hitters.
Alleiah Malaluan contributed an all-around performance of 11 points, 21 receptions, and 12 digs, while Majoy Baron added 10 points, including four blocks.
Five-time PVL Best Libero Kath Arado was also solid defensively, tallying 27 excellent digs out of 35 attempts and 24 excellent receptions out of 43.
On the other side, Tubu led the Foxies with 30 points on 27 attacks and three blocks, while Ces Molina added 15 points.
