By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
After four years of relentless pursuit, the PLDT High Speed Hitters have finally reached their Promised Land, clinching their first-ever Premier Volleyball League (PVL) title over the weekend.
In a hard-fought finals showdown, the High Speed Hitters outlasted the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in a thrilling five-set battle, 25-17, 25-17, 19-25, 24-26, 15-8, to capture the PVL On Tour crown at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The long-awaited victory marked a turning point for the determined squad and signaled even greater things ahead.
Veteran middle blocker Mika Reyes turned back the clock, delivering a career-high 20 points — including a staggering seven blocks — to lead the charge and earn Finals Most Valuable Player honors.
For Reyes, a decorated athlete with multiple individual accolades, finally winning a championship meant everything — especially with a team that had long been yearning for its first taste of glory.
“I’m just supper happy. I don’t even know the right words to describe it. All I know is that we’re all really happy, an we truly deserve this win,” said Reyes, who joined the squad in 2022.
Prior to their breakthrough championship, PLDT had never reached the finals since entering the league in 2021. Their best finishes were fourth place in the 2022 Invitational, the 2023 1st All-Filipino, and the 2024 Reinforced Conferences.
In fact, the High Speed Hitters were coming off a fifth-place finish in the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference leading into this tournament.
But after years of heartbreak, near-misses, and relentless hard work, their persistence was finally rewarded.
“It was super frustrating, but despite all the heartbreaks we’ve gone through, we never gave up. I think that’s what makes this championship even more special. Everything we went through over the past few years just became even more motivation for us,” Reyes said.
Fil-Canadian Savi Davison echoed the sentiment, lauding that her teammates never stopped working hard to achieve their goals.
“It was definitely a process. Even for me, it felt like we couldn’t catch a break before. That’s why this championship feels so much better—we had to fight for it, and we showed up when it mattered most,” said Davison,who was also at the frontline of their assault throughout the tournament.
