MANILA — A commanding opening-night statement greeted the PLDT High Speed Hitters in the PVL All-Filipino Conference as they swept the perennial contenders Creamline Cool Smashers, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23, Thursday night at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan.
Savannah Davison delivered a statement performance to power PLDT, posting a triple-double of 26 points, 11 excellent digs, and 10 excellent receptions to claim Player of the Game honors and spearhead the High Speed Hitters’ straight-sets victory.
The Filipina-Canadian hitter credited the team’s collective effort and preparation for finishing off the multi-titled Cool Smashers without dropping a set.
“I mean I could not have done it alone, everyone showed up tonight, everyone worked together. We are just lucky that we were able to finish it off in straight sets,” said Davison.
PLDT dictated the pace for most of the match, leaning on balanced scoring and disciplined floor defense to keep Creamline at bay, particularly in the closing moments of the third set to seal the sweep.
In the night’s other match, the Cignal Super Spikers stayed unbeaten by turning back the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, 25-20, 16-25, 25-19, 25-18.
Erika Santos led Cignal with 18 points on 14 attacks, two blocks, and two aces to earn Player of the Game honors as the Super Spikers surged to solo first place with a 2-0 record.
Vanessa Gandler chipped in 16 points, while Jacqueline Acuña added 13 for Cignal.
After claiming the opening set, the Super Spikers yielded the second as Choco Mucho found its rhythm offensively. Cignal regrouped in the third, tightening its defense and capitalizing on timely attacks, then pulled away late in the fourth to close out the match./PN
