The road to the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals appears to be a straightforward journey for PLDT, but for Farm Fresh and Akari, it’s an uphill battle. Both teams will clash for the last of six outright quarterfinal berths on Tuesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Riding high after a dominant sweep of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in their recent preliminary matchup in Iloilo, the fourth-seeded High Speed Hitters are expected to secure another convincing victory in their 6:30 p.m. encounter. However, they remain cautious, knowing that the No. 9-ranked Thunderbelles are eager to stage an upset and prove their mettle.
But the real spotlight will be on the 4 p.m. showdown between No. 6 Farm Fresh and No. 7 Akari. With both teams evenly matched, their rankings take a backseat, setting the stage for a thrilling, down-to-the-wire battle.
Four teams – defending champion and top seed Creamline, No. 2 Petro Gazz, No. 5 Choco Mucho, and surprise No. 10 Galeries Tower – have already punched their tickets to the quarterfinals. PLDT and ZUS Coffee, along with Farm Fresh and Akari, are now vying for the two remaining automatic spots.
The last two quarterfinal berths will be contested in the play-in tournament, where six teams – Cignal, Nxled, Capital1, and Chery Tiggo, along with the losers of today’s matches – will battle for survival in a single-round eliminator starting Thursday.
With a decisive 25-20, 25-16, 25-16 victory over ZUS Coffee last Feb. 22, PLDT is heavily favored to repeat its dominance. However, the Thunderbelles are hungry for redemption and will draw inspiration from the Highrisers’ shocking upset of the third-seeded Cignal HD Spikers last week.
“Maybe just avoiding complacency because that’s really our goal – to reach the finals," said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort on what they need to avoid against the Thunderbelles.
For ZUS Coffee to pull off the improbable, veterans Chai Troncoso and Jovelyn Gonzaga, along with young guns Thea Gagate, Michelle Gamit, Kate Santiago, Gayle Pascual, and Chinnie Arroyo, must deliver their best performances. More importantly, they must find a way to contain PLDT’s powerful offensive arsenal, spearheaded by Savi Davison, Fiola Ceballos, Dell Palomata, Majoy Baron, Erika Santos and Mika Reyes.
Failure to slow down PLDT’s relentless attack will all but ensure the High Speed Hitters’ passage into the best-of-three quarterfinals.
The Farm Fresh-Akari matchup promises to be a nail-biter. The Foxies swept the Chargers in their preliminary-round encounter last Nov. 30, but Akari remains a dangerous opponent.
"I think there were games where we didn’t have Jolina (dela Cruz), and we didn’t have Rachel (Daquis). Now, little by little, and then hopefully... going into the qualifying round, we’ll be complete. So if we’re complete, I think the team's performance will change, because we’ve seen some advantages of the team, the team’s strengths are showing, so it will be different," said Farm Fresh mentor Benson Bocboc, confident in his team’s chances when healthy.
Having finished as runners-up in last year’s Reinforced Conference, the Chargers have the experience and composure needed in high-stakes elimination matches.
Adding intrigue to the matchup is the expected return of Akari’s star spiker Grethcel Soltones, who battled a hand strain midway through the prelims. She will be joined by key teammates Ivy Lacsina, Faith Nisperos, Ced Domingo, Erika Raagas, Camille Victoria and Fifi Sharma – all ready to assert their dominance in a bid for an outright quarterfinal spot.
On the other hand, Farm Fresh is equally determined to reaffirm its superiority. Trisha Tubu, who led the Foxies in their previous victory over Akari, is expected to spearhead their attack alongside Jolina dela Cruz, Caitlin Viray, Aly Bertolano, Louie Romero, Maicah Larroza, Rizza Cruz, Lorene Toring and the ageless Rachel Ann Daquis.
Daquis turned back time with a vintage 19-point explosion in Farm Fresh’s five-set thriller against the Capital1 Solar Spikers last Feb. 18.
