PLDT punches ticket to finals

PLDT stormed into its first-ever Premier Volleyball League (PVL) finals in thrilling fashion – rallying from a 1-2 set deficit against Creamline in a gripping five-set classic, 27-25, 22-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-10.

Even more remarkable, the High Speed Hitters punched their ticket to the PVL On Tour one-game championship match on the back of a flawless seven-game sweep, silencing critics and shaking up the league’s power structure in one unforgettable night at the Araneta Coliseum Tuesday.

Creamline, poised to march into another Finals appearance after going up two sets to one, looked in control.

But PLDT’s grit and resilience took over – a team that had never before lost two sets in a single match during their perfect run now used that very moment of adversity as fuel.

They roared back with a dominant fourth set, flipping the script, then tore through the Cool Smashers in the fifth – leaving a stunned crowd in disbelief as the 10-time league champions collapsed under pressure.

Savi Davison provided the finishing touches in the decider, erupting for eight of her 34 points in Set 5 alone, including the first three and the final four – capped by a booming crosscourt kill that pierced through two Creamline defenders and sealed the emotional win in two hours and 12 minutes of fierce action.

The Cool Smashers had clawed within one, 9-10, after an Alyssa Valdez kill that briefly reignited the Creamline faithful.

But Davison answered with three clutch hits, each blow silencing the crowd a little more until only PLDT’s cheers remained.

A Valdez attack error put PLDT at match point, and although Michele Gumabao saved one, Davison would not be denied – slamming the door shut with a final, emphatic strike.