With KO duel looming, PLDT eyes help from young guns

PLDT High Speed Hitters in the PVL Reinforced Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

PLDT has been in this situation before.

The High Speed Hitters would run up a streak by knocking down opponents early but still be caught in a tight spot when the homestretch approaches.

That’s what coach Rald Ricafort is trying to avoid and he may have a firmer grip on the situation because of the tournament format.

“Since the format after this crossover [round] will be a knockout [quarterfinals], it would really be just one game at a time for us,” Ricafort told the Inquirer in Filipino. “It would just depend on who will wake up on the right side of the bed; but we can’t hold back—we need to give our all in every game.”

After easily eliminating winless ZUS Coffee, 25-18, 25-14, 25-12, on Tuesday night, PLDT is assured of advancing to the playoffs of the Reinforced Conference like undefeated Akari and Cignal, which shares a 5-1 (win-loss) record with Ricafort’s wards. PLDT will have a little bit more control of its fate unlike the last conference, when the High Speed Hitters notably missing the final four after falling short by just a point in tiebreak to Creamline.

And Ricafort knows what the team needs to survive a knockout duel: More contributions from his young wards to help out seasoned playmaker Kim Fajardo and middle blockers Majoy Baron and Mika Reyes.

“We are reiterating to [the younger players] that if we want to reach the end, they need to be present during tough situations,” he said, stressing the need for more output from the wings.

“We want [the young ones] to develop the mindset of veterans,” Ricafort added. “We do have veterans but they are middles. Most of the job still falls on the wings so if [the young guns want top be] reliable teammates, they need to keep up so [the team can] rise together.”

The High Speed Hitters might be without another seasoned cog in Dell Palomata, who is still tied up with Alas Pilipinas chores. Savi Davison, who is recuperating from a knee procedure, won’t return this conference.

Underdog mentality

But they have import Elena Samoilenko, who has performed well for the squad.

However, Ricafort has said that he doesn’t want the Russian to be carrying all of the responsibilities.

The team’s next assignments are Petro Gazz on Saturday and then Choco Mucho—two bottom-ranked squads who are still dangerous if only for their urgent need for victories that will allow them to progress to the next round.

Those crucial games can be a platform for the young guns to show that they are willing to shoulder some of the load that will help the team advance. And having an underdog mentality, for Ricafort, might provide them an extra boost.

“It’s more fun to play without the pressure on us … we need to continue approaching the game like how we played the top teams in our first bracket instead of focusing on the fact that we came from the top bracket,” he said.