PVL: Samoilenko gets help this time as PLDT gains share of lead

After an ego-boosting win against All-Filipino champion Creamline, PLDT is making it a point to not put all the pressure on Russian backup Elena Samoilenko.

“[Samoilenko] can’t drop 30 points every game because she will get drained so the challenge for the other wing spikers is to produce points as well,” Coach Rald Ricafort told the Inquirer in Filipino after PLDT notched a second straight win in the Reinforced Conference.

Utilizing every High Speed Hitter, PLDT triumphed against Galeries Tower, 25-19, 25-16, 25-17 to grab a share of the tournament lead Saturday along with Chery Tiggo, which also has a 2-0 card following a 25-16, 25-20, 25-23 victory against Nxled earlier in the day.

Samoilenko dropped a 34-point bomb on the Cool Smashers in their curtain-raiser but it was a different story against the Highrisers with the PLDT playmakers not needing to seek out their import.

“That’s the challenge for them right now that it’s not all about Lena. They can do it and they gained confidence as well by getting the win because of their own efforts,” Ricafort added.

Prepared

Samoilenko only needed to produce 14 points on 11 attacks and three blocks for the match. Fiola Ceballos added 10 points, mostly from kills.

Aside from Dell Palomata who is with Alas Pilipinas and Kim Kianna Dy still far from returning to action, Savi Davison will also be missed by the High Speed Hitters with the power hitter needing to attend to a previous knee injury.

“[We are expecting her] to be off for one month. There is a big chance that she will be completely out of this conference,” Ricafort said.

But PLDT is prepared missing these vital pieces.

“[Davison] returned late [to the country] plus we immediately learned that she is feeling something so what we prepared with Lena in a month became the lineup now,” he said. “Compared maybe to preparing for a month with both Lena and Sav and then suddenly we lose her; we might have a more difficult time adjusting.”

Erika Santos played in the first and third frames to come up with nine points while Majoy Baron had eight.

Samoilenko’s performance also featured 11 excellent digs and receptions with captain Kath Arado defending the floor with 16 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.

“We set our goal before the conference [filled with] hard games … as long as we can get wins, we’ll take it,” Ricafort said. “We are making sure to level our hype because every game, our opponents will offer different things.”