The PLDT High Speed Hitters are looking to etch their name in PVL history when they shoot for their first ever title against the Chery Tiggo Crossovers Sunday, Aug. 17, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
But it won’t be easy.
For one, Chery Tiggo is a team with championship pedigree and unyielding grit, ready to stage another monumental finish.
So expect both teams to deliver fireworks and drama when they tangle in a winner-take-all match at 6:30 p.m. before thousands of their respective supporters.
But momentum is on the side of PLDT which blitzed through the prelims, quarters and semis, dropping just three sets en route to a spotless finals entry.
The Crossovers were off to a roaring start, encountered turbulence midway through the event before regaining their deadly form on the way to the final.
Out to lead PLDT are Savi Davison, Kim Dy and Jovie Prado – of the team’s prolific scorers while expected to tower at the middle are Mika Reyes and Majoy Baron.
“Since after preliminaries, talagang one game at a time na lang ang focus namin,” said head coach Rald Ricafort, whose team has shown discipline and steady improvement. “Kailangan pa rin mag-improve at itrabaho ng husto.”
Ricafort
Orchestrating the offense is veteran playmaker Kim Fajardo, with Angge Alcantara providing support and skipper Kath Arado anchoring a rock-solid floor defense.
The Crossovers, on the other hand, are no strangers to high-stakes matches. In 2021, they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in PVL history, stunning Creamline in a fifth-set decider to win the league’s first pro title. That memory still fuels their fire.
Now led by veterans Cess Robles, Ara Galang, Imee Hernandez, and promising rookie Renee Peñafiel, Chery Tiggo has consistently shown the ability to grind it out when the odds are stacked.
