MANILA – PLDT High Speed Hitters kept its Premier Volleyball League Invitational finals hopes alive with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-18 win over F2 Logistics Cargo Movers in the single-round robin semis on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Honey Royce Tubino tallied 20 points, on 18 attacks, one block and a service ace, to be hailed as the Player of the Game as the High Speed Hitters improved to 1-2 win-loss slate.
Ilongga Fiola Ceballos added nine points for, while Aklanon Dell Palomata contributed eight markers as the High Speed Hitters bounced back from a straight-set defeat to Cignal HD Spikers.
“High morale kami ngayon kasi first win namin sa semis pero more tiyaga at more training pa kami para sa next games,” said Tubino. “Nag-focus lang talaga kami sa sarili namin at dinugtungan lahat ng pinagharapan sa training, mga pagod at hirap sa team effort na ‘to.”
Myla Pablo, meanwhile, tallied 10 markers to lead the way for the Cargo Movers (1-2), which played minus star hitter Kim Kianna Dy due to a right knee injury she suffered in the last game.
In the other semifinals game, Creamline Cool Smashers relied on another clutch performance by Alyssa Valdez to defeat Cignal HD Spikers, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 24-26, 15-10.
The national women’s volleyball team skipper scattered conference-best 22 points, on 18 attacks, two blocks and two service aces, as the Cool Smashers moved closer to a return trip to the finals.
After failing to close out the match in the fourth set and pushed to the limit by the HD Spikers midway in the fifth set, the Cool Smashers got connections from Diana Carlos and Jessica Galanza to turn a slim 9-8 lead to a 12-8 spread.
Frances Molina stopped the bleeding for the HD Spikers with an offspeed attack before Valdez and Jovelyn Gonzaga exchanged hits which put the Cool Smashers ahead by three, 13-10, once again.
Carlos then sent the defending champions Cool Smashers at match point at 14-10 with a booming connection before Valdez closed out the tightly-contested match with an attack point./PN
