By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The stage is all set for a thrilling quarterfinal round in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference starting on Monday, Nov. 24, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
This, after three crucial matches were played last Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena where Capital1 turned back eliminated Galeries Tower, 12-25, 29-27, 25-19, 25-18; Farm Fresh swept Chery Tiggo, 25-17, 25-23, 29-27; and Petro Gazz stunned PLDT, 25-21, 27-25, 23-25, 25-21.
With the results, Farm Fresh gained the No. 1 seeding and set up a quarters clash with No. 8 Akari, second seed ZUS Coffee tangles with No. 7 Capital1, No. 3 PLDT collides with sixth seed Cignal, and No. 5 Petro Gazz squares off with No. 4 defending champion Creamline.
Capital1 coach Jorge De Brito remains optimistic of his players as they seek to eclipse their best finish of a seventh place in the 2024 edition.
“I’m proud of the players, but hope is not enough. We’ve been working really hard and looking forward for next week,” said De Brito, who pins his hopes on the lethal tandem of Oleksandra Bytsenko and Bella Belen.
Bytsenko erupted for 35 points while Belen added 14 points in their game against Galeries Tower. Belen is excited to play in the Last 8, hoping she can sustain her solid numbers in the elims.
For Petro Gazz coach Gary Van Sickle, meanwhile, winning over On Tour and Invitational Conference champion PLDT is a morale boost heading to the next phase.
“We’re actually playing our best volleyball now, so that’s a good warm up to the next round,” said Van Sickle.
His daughter, Brooke Van Sickle, echoed the sentiment, seeing how they are slowly peaking at the right moment. Against the High Speed Hitters, the Angels unloaded 76 kills, a testament to their explosive offense.
“I think we’re definitely moving cohesively now. PLDT is a tough team and it definitely pushed us to play better,” said Brooke.
