Davison drops 32 as PLDT stays in finals hunt

Games Sunday

1:30 p.m. — Farm Fresh vs. Nxled

4 p.m. — EST Cola vs. Ho Chi Minh

6:30 p.m. — PLDT vs. Creamline

QUEZON CITY — PLDT tightened its grip on its PVL Invitational title defense with a crucial victory, turning back Farm Fresh, 25-16, 25-22, 23-25, 25-20, on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The vital win evened the High Speed Hitters’ record at 2-2 and put them firmly back in the hunt for the second and final championship berth as the single-round eliminations head toward a frenetic finish Sunday.

While PLDT kept its title defense alive, Farm Fresh effectively bowed out of the race with a 1-3 record, absorbing its third consecutive defeat after previously posting a four-set win over Ho Chi Minh.

Unbeaten Creamline, at 3-0, and second-running EST Cola, at 2-1, were clashing for the top spot, while Nxled and Ho Chi Minh, both carrying 1-2 records, were fighting for survival in the other pairing at presstime.

The defending champions, anchored by Savi Davison’s firepower, recovered from a third-set stumble by reimposing their will early in the fourth to secure the one-hour, 53-minute victory.

Davison delivered a monster 32-point performance, including four kill blocks, punctuated by a vicious kill on her second attempt to close out the fiercely contested match.

The High Speed Hitters showed the poise and grit missing in their shock four-set loss to Ho Chi Minh on Thursday, a defeat that had cast serious doubts on their title-retention bid.

Now back in the hunt, PLDT will go all-out when it faces powerhouse Creamline in a make-or-break Sunday showdown.

“I think we talked in the dugout before and last night as well coming off a loss, and we kind of really needed to check in for this game today because it was a must-win for us,” said Davison.

The explosive open hitter complemented her scoring surge with a triple-double performance, registering 10 excellent digs and 14 receptions.

“So I’m just glad that everyone came ready today to play, and we, you know, we got it done,” added Davison, who doubled her 16-point effort against the Vietnamese.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s high-stakes match, Davison expressed confidence in the team’s ability to maintain consistency with the championship within reach.

“Hopefully, we come out more consistent these next couple games. We have two more, hopefully two more to push through, and then, you know, hopefully defending champions. I’m not going to jinx it, but hopefully, fingers crossed,” she said.

Facing elimination in the third set, Farm Fresh regrouped behind clutch plays from Royse Tubino and Ces Molina to keep its campaign alive temporarily.

After Farm Fresh built an early 8-4 lead, PLDT tied the frame at 13 before the Foxies regained control.

Molina hammered down the decisive kill at 24-23 to extend the match before the High Speed Hitters shut the door in the fourth.

Kim Dy followed her 25-point explosion against Ho Chi Minh with 15 points, including four blocks.

Majoy Baron contributed eight points, while Mika Reyes and Jovie Prado added seven and five, respectively.

PLDT dominated Farm Fresh in attacks, 57-41.

The Foxies, however, controlled the net with 13 blocks, two more than the High Speed Hitters, led by Molina and Riri Meneses with three each.

PLDT capitalized on Farm Fresh’s shaky reception by scoring six service aces while allowing only three.

That helped offset PLDT’s 26 errors compared with Farm Fresh’s 24.

Kim Fajardo anchored PLDT’s offense with 26 excellent sets.

Farm Fresh counterpart Alohi Robins-Hardy finished with nine excellent sets in her return to the squad.

Farm Fresh drew 12 points from Molina and 11 from Tubino.

The Foxies scrambled for offense after top scorer Trisha Tubu exited the match after scoring five points in the first two sets.

Rookie Jonna Perdido scored seven points, Mylene Paat added six, and Ara Galang and Meneses finished with five and four points, respectively.

Farm Fresh will wrap up its Invitational campaign against Nxled on Sunday.