Savannah Davison had become a familiar face in the media room in previous conferences, having collected numerous Player of the Game honors with her standout performances for the High Speed Hitters.
With her name often called after another impressive outing, the former league MVP would sometimes playfully joke about being summoned to the press conference yet again.
But this time, things were different.
When invited to the post-game press conference on Saturday, Davison’s face lit up with a smile that said more than words could, as if a weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders.
“You know what? I missed this,” Davison said.
And perhaps it was because PLDT had finally given itself something to smile about.
Entering the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference as one of the title contenders after winning two championships and claiming two bronze medals in their last five tournaments, the High Speed Hitters were expected to make an immediate statement.
Instead, they stumbled out of the gates, absorbing back-to-back straight-set losses to Nxled and Akari to fall to a dismal 0-2 record.
Davison also struggled during that stretch, managing just 10 points on eight successful attacks in 43 attempts against the Chameleons before being limited to five points against the Chargers, marking the lowest scoring output of her PVL career.
(C) PVL Images
“I gotta show up,” said the 27-year-old outside hitter when asked about her mindset following PLDT’s first two losses.
Rather than dwell on her early struggles, Davison chose to focus on how she could respond, reminding herself of the work she had put in and the lessons she had learned throughout her career.
With the High Speed Hitters counting on her firepower, the Fil-Canadian winger knew she needed to put the disappointing outings behind her and find ways to contribute.
“I think it’s just going back to the basics and realizing how hard I’ve worked to get here and everything that I’ve learned to this day doesn’t just disappear. It’s everything I’ve trained for. We train every day, and just because I had a bad day on a game day, you know, doesn’t define me,” Davison said.
“It was humbling, but I feel like we all go through those experiences where we don’t show up the best that we can, and it’s just kind of how we respond from them. So I like to identify it, recognize it, and kind of move on because, you know, we need each other, right? So the best thing I can do is respond the best I can.”
Davison delivered the response PLDT desperately needed against Capital1, leading the High Speed Hitters to a four-set victory, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-21, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre to snap their two-game skid.
The 27-year-old rediscovered her scoring touch, erupting for 28 points on 23 attacks, four blocks, and one ace, along with 18 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs.
“I honestly… It’s hard. I’m not gonna lie, but I feel like Kath also recognizes the position that I’m in. Like, we… She’s a really big part of our defense, and I feel like I carry the offensive side. But we do have a lot of pressure on us internally and externally,” said Davison, a University of Oklahoma product.
“And we like to say that pressure is a privilege. Pressure is a privilege, and pressure makes diamonds. But at the same time, you just gotta calm yourself down, and everyone has a bad day. But let’s just kind of, you know, mark more good days and bad days, hopefully.”
Davison credited the team’s collective response, saying PLDT entered the match determined to make up for their disappointing start.
Their commitment to pushing one another during practice translated into a stronger showing on game day, as the High Speed Hitters finally found the answer it had been searching for after days of frustration.
“I feel like we all kinda came into this game knowing that we had something to come back from,” she said.
“And it’s more ourselves than anything. So I’m glad that we pushed each other during practice this week. And going into this game, we had the right mindset. So I’m just glad we came out and played to our best.”
Saturday’s victory meant more than simply ending PLDT’s losing streak.
It gave the High Speed Hitters a chance to regain their confidence and reminded Davison that one difficult stretch did not define her.
After two games of searching for answers, she finally had a victory to talk about — and a reason to welcome the familiar moment once more.
