High Speed Hitters, Foxies Eye Quarterfinal Spots

The road to the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals is shaping up to be a straightforward journey for PLDT, but for Farm Fresh and Akari, it’s an uphill battle. Both teams will clash today (Tuesday) for the last two automatic quarterfinal berths at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Riding high after a dominant sweep of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in their recent preliminary matchup in Iloilo, the fourth-seeded High Speed Hitters are heavily favored to secure another convincing victory in their 6:30 p.m. encounter. However, PLDT remains cautious, knowing that the ninth-seeded Thunderbelles are determined to stage an upset and prove their mettle.

The spotlight, however, will shine brightest on the 4 p.m. showdown between No. 6 Farm Fresh and No. 7 Akari. Both teams are evenly matched, making their rankings secondary in what promises to be a thrilling, down-to-the-wire battle.

Four teams—defending champion and top seed Creamline, No. 2 Petro Gazz, No. 5 Choco Mucho, and surprise No. 10 Galeries Tower—have already secured their quarterfinal spots. PLDT and ZUS Coffee, along with Farm Fresh and Akari, are now vying for the last two automatic berths.

The remaining six teams—Cignal, Nxled, Capital1, Chery Tiggo, and the losers of today’s matches—will battle for survival in a single-round play-in tournament starting Thursday.

PLDT is coming off a decisive 25-20, 25-16, 25-16 victory over ZUS Coffee on Feb. 22 and is heavily favored to repeat its dominance. However, the Thunderbelles are hungry for redemption, drawing inspiration from their stunning upset of the third-seeded Cignal HD Spikers last week.

“Maybe just avoiding complacency because that’s really our goal—to reach the finals,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort on the team’s mindset heading into the match.

For ZUS Coffee to pull off the improbable, veterans Chai Troncoso and Jovelyn Gonzaga, alongside young standouts Thea Gagate, Michelle Gamit, Kate Santiago, Gayle Pascual, and Chinnie Arroyo, must deliver their best performances. More importantly, they must find a way to contain PLDT’s potent offensive arsenal, led by Savi Davison, Fiola Ceballos, Dell Palomata, Majoy Baron, Erika Santos, and Mika Reyes.

Failure to slow down PLDT’s relentless attack will all but guarantee the High Speed Hitters’ passage into the best-of-three quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, the Farm Fresh-Akari matchup promises to be a nail-biter. The Foxies swept the Chargers in their preliminary-round encounter last Nov. 30, but Akari remains a dangerous opponent.

“I think there were games where we didn’t have Jolina (Dela Cruz) and Rachel (Daquis). Now, little by little, we’re becoming complete. Hopefully, going into the qualifying round, we’ll be at full strength. If we’re complete, I think the team’s performance will change,” said Farm Fresh mentor Benson Bocboc, confident in his team’s chances when healthy.

Having finished as runners-up in last year’s Reinforced Conference, the Chargers bring experience and composure to high-stakes elimination matches. Adding intrigue to the matchup is the expected return of Akari’s star spiker Grethcel Soltones, who battled a hand strain midway through the preliminaries.

Soltones will be joined by key teammates Ivy Lacsina, Faith Nisperos, Ced Domingo, Erika Raagas, Camille Victoria, and Fifi Sharma, all ready to assert their dominance in pursuit of an outright quarterfinal berth.

On the other hand, Farm Fresh is equally determined to reaffirm its superiority. Trisha Tubu, who led the Foxies in their previous victory over Akari, is expected to spearhead their attack alongside Jolina Dela Cruz, Caitlin Viray, Aly Bertolano, Louie Romero, Maicah Larroza, Rizza Cruz, Lorene Toring, and the ageless Rachel Ann Daquis.

Daquis, who turned back the clock with a vintage 19-point explosion in Farm Fresh’s five-set thriller against the Capital1 Solar Spikers on Feb. 18, will be a key player to watch.