PLDT and Chery Tiggo aim to extend their winning streaks to three as they face rivals who have yet to secure a victory in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig today (Thursday).
The unpredictable results from Tuesday’s matches have leveled the playing field, creating an exciting race for supremacy in the league organized by Sports Vision.
Akari’s surprise victory over All-Filipino finalist Choco Mucho and Capital1’s upset against two-time champion Petro Gazz have added to the chaos in Pool B.
Meanwhile, PLDT and Chery Tiggo, with their strong lineups and talented reinforcements, are keen to maintain their dominance in Pool A following consecutive wins.
The High Speed Hitters are confident as they take on the Farm Fresh Foxies at 1 p.m., while the Crossovers shoot for another win against the Galeries Tower Highrisers at 5 p.m.
Led by the dynamic Lena Samoilenko and supported by a strong local crew including Fiola Ceballos, Mika Reyes, Erika Santos, Majoy Baron and Kim Fajardo, the High Speed Hitters are favored in their match against the Foxies.
“Hindi pwedeng makisama sa hype na nafifeel ng team kailangan ilevel lang kasi every game iba iba yung inooffer ng kalaban, marami pa kaming mabigat na games lalo yung last three games,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort.
However, Farm Fresh remains hopeful, relying on import Yeny Murillo, who scored 26 points in their previous match, and support from Caitlin Viray, Trisha Tubu, Louie Romero, Aprylle Tagsip, Chinnie Arroyo and Rizza Cruz.
Chery Tiggo, meanwhile, is expected to overcome Galeries Tower, with Khat Bell leading the charge after her 21-point performance. Despite missing key players Eya Laure and Jen Nierva and the injured EJ Laure, the Crossovers remain strong with Ara Galang, Aby Maraño, Mylene Paat, Jasmine Nabor, Shaya Adorador, Pauline Gaston, Mary Rhose Dapol and Cess Robles.
“It’s really ideal just to let go of the past wins. We should not stop right now, we still have a long way to go and I just wanna keep pushing us,” said Bell.
To stop Chery Tiggo, Galeries Tower will need a standout performance from import Chuewulim Sutadta and significant contributions from locals France Ronquillo, Dimdim Pacres, Andrea Marzan, RJ Doromal, Fhen Emnas, Roselle Baliton and Shannen Palec.
The 3 p.m. match between Creamline and Nxled is also expected to be competitive as both teams seek to improve their 1-1 records and move up in the standings. Creamline, with Erica May Staunton integrating into the team, looks to prevail with top players Michele Gumabao, Pangs Panaga, Bernadeth Pons and Bea de Leon, while Nxled, motivated to bounce back from a straight-set loss to Chery Tiggo, aims for a strong performance to enhance their position.
The top three teams from each pool will play the bottom three from the opposite pool in the next round. After the prelims, teams will be ranked using the FIVB Classification System, with the top eight squads advancing to the knockout quarterfinals.
Winners will proceed to the semifinals, which will also be do-or-die matches. The top two teams from the semis will compete for the gold medal, while the losers will battle for the bronze.
Games are telecast live on Pilipinas Live, One Sports, One Sports+, and pvl.ph.
Games today (Thursday)
1 p.m. – Farm Fresh vs PLDT
3 p.m. – Creamline vs Nxled
5 p.m. – Galeries Tower vs Chery Tiggo
