PLDT High Speed Hitters. PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—PLDT bolstered its semifinals bid after sweeping Cignal, 25-23, 25-23, 25-14, in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at San Juan Arena on Saturday.
Coach Rald Ricafort, however, wants his team to just focus on what’s next.
“I don’t know the situation much and we’re not dwelling on it too much. For us, if we are lucky enough to reach the semis, we will polish whatever else we need to polish,” said Ricafort, whose squad was led by Jovie Prado’s 14 points.
“Choco Mucho will be our last [game]. We’ll be studying. We’re not thinking of the situation much because it’s confusing, I’ll just get stressed.”
PLDT, which improved to 5-2, pulled out all the stops in the third set with a dominant performance. The High Speed Hitters cruised to a 12-3 advantage which ballooned to 18-4.
The HD Spikers took a blow in the second set after Rachel Anne Daquis had an awkward landing and was brought to the locker room. Fortunately for Cignal, Daquis, who finished with nine points, only suffered a case of cramps.
It was a story of runs in the second set when both squads were caught in a stalemate at 8-all. Dell Palomata’s kill sparked a 6-2 run by PLDT to take a 14-10 lead.
Cignal answered back with a run of its own to gain an 18-15 edge before Mich Morente came through late to deliver the crucial hits. Morente chipped in 10.
Jovie Prado led PLDT in scoring with 14 while Mean Mendrez added 13.
Roselyn Doria was the sole double-digit scorer for Cignal with 11 markers.