PLDT top setters Rhea Dimaculangan and Kim Fajardo relish the opportunity to play together in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League season opening on 20 February.

Despite donning the same uniform in short stints with the national team, the two have expressed excitement to finally share the same side of the court after years of competing against each other.

Fajardo is one of the three high-profile recruits of the High Speed Hitters during the offseason from the disbanded F2 Logistics along with Kim Kianna Dy and Majoy Baron.

"I'm excited, finally we'll get to be teammates again. The last time was with the national team but that was just for a few months," the decorated new PLDT playmaker said.

"I feel now that I have a senior to look up to because for the longest time I've been the one that my former teammates look up to as a leader," she added.

Fajardo's transfer is extra-special for Dimaculangan, who has been wishing to reunite with her high school teammate at the University of Santo Tomas.

Dimaculangan was a senior when Fajardo got recruited to play with the Junior Tigresses as an opposite spiker.

But while Dimaculangan continued to play for UST in college, Fajardo opted to join De La Salle University where she won three University Athletic Association of the Philippines titles.

"Before I was expecting to play with her (in college) at UST but she transferred to another school. But despite that we remained friends and kept in touch," the 32-year-old Dimaculangan said.

"I guess this is the perfect time for us to be together again."

The two setters would eventually bring their rivalry to the club scene where they clashed in the defunct Philippine Superliga finals seven times with Fajardo leading F2 Logistics while Dimaculangan piloted Petron.

Fajardo has a 4-3 championship head-to-head edge over Dimaculangan.

"We have a healthy competition. I challenge Kim and she challenges me (to become better)," Dimaculangan said.

Dimaculangan revealed that she and Kim were supposed to hook up in Petron before.

"Back then, Kim was supposed to transfer to my then-team Petron. I was also expecting to have her onboard as teammates but again it didn't materialize," she said.

Dimaculangan, however, admits that she was skeptical at first when news of Fajardo possibly joining the High Speed Hitters.