PLDT completes PVL Invitationals semis cast, ousts Chery Tiggo in 5-set thriller
MANILA, Philippines – The PLDT High Speed Hitters completed the 2023 PVL Invitational Conference semifinals cast with a nail-biting five-set escape over the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, 25-21, 16-25, 25-23, 25-27, 15-12, at the PhilSports Arena on Tuesday, July 18.
With the win lifting it to a 3-1 record, PLDT joined undefeated defending champion Creamline as Pool A representatives, while F2 Logistics and Cignal booked the two semis tickets over at Pool B.
Japan V. League Division 3 squad Kurashiki Ablaze and Vietnam League team Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh are set to arrive soon as well to serve as championship-eligible litmus tests to the Filipina contingents.
Filling in for the injured Jovy Prado, who was diagnosed with a torn ACL before the game, Me-an Mendrez took up the scoring cudgels with a team-high 16 points in just four sets, backstopped with 14 from Dell Palomata.
Mich Morente and Fiola Ceballos scored 12 and 10, respectively, while Kath Arado tallied 23 excellent digs.
After a nip-and-tuck fourth set that took 48 minutes due to numerous sweat-wiping breaks, both teams maintained an 11-all deadlock deep in the deciding frame, following fierce kills from Mendrez and Mylene Paat.
Breaks of the game then went PLDT’s way as Mendrez and Palomata powered down two more kills, 13-11, before Imee Hernandez responded with her own hit, 12-13.
Palomata, however, would have Hernandez’s number in the end as she denied a quick attack to reach match point, 14-12, before Mendrez also rejected an Eya Laure off-speed shot for the win.
“I guess it’s just a test of character for us and for me to just remind the players. We were coming from an ugly loss. I just told them to not be pressured with the implications of the game. It’s just a normal game,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort in Filipino.
“Then we had extra motivation because we really wanted to win this one for Jov.”
Former league MVP Paat went down swinging in the loss that sent Chery Tiggo down a 2-2 slate with a massive 29-point bomb off 22 attacks, 4 blocks, and 3 aces.
Pauline Gaston added 16 points off 12 hits, 3 blocks, and an ace as Joyme Cagande churned out 22 excellent sets with 7 points to boot. Conversely, top rookie recruit Eya Laure was held to just 8 points in the marathon, while her sister EJ only scored 6 in a full five-set run.
The classification phase and round-robin semifinals are set to start on Thursday, July 20, still at the PhilSports Arena. – Rappler.com