PLDT, Creamline, and Chery Tiggo aim to solidify their positions in the top three of Pool A, while Farm Fresh seeks to break into the elite circle through the backdoor as the first round of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference pool eliminations concludes on Thursday at the Philsports Arena.
The High Speed Hitters are determined to rebound from a tough five-set loss to the surging Crossovers last weekend, which snapped their three-game winning streak and spoiled their bid for a sweep. However, they will face a Farm Fresh team pushing for a straight-set victory and a potential spot in the top three.
With Creamline, PLDT and Chery Tiggo each holding a 3-1 record, Farm Fresh targets a 3-2 finish with a win against PLDT in the 1 p.m. opener.
But for the Foxies to force a tie for the top three, they need to win in three sets and hope Chery Tiggo loses to the winless Galeries Tower, also in three sets, in their 5 p.m. encounter. Both teams would then end up with 3-2 records and identical eight total points, with ties to be broken by points ratio.
The top three teams will play the bottom three in Pool B in the crossover round starting Saturday.
Creamline and PLDT, with 10 and nine points respectively, are assured of top three spots even if they lose their respective matches. This puts the spotlight on the clash between PLDT and Farm Fresh.
"PLDT is a very good team both on offense and defense, so we need to perfectly execute our Japanese system and focus more on our defense," said Farm Fresh head coach Shota Sato through a translator.
The Foxies have fought back into contention with victories over the Hightowers (0-4) and the Nxled Chameleons (1-3).
Creamline, on the other hand, aims to extend its winning streak to four after a five-set defeat to PLDT as it mixes it up with a struggling Nxled side (1-3) at 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, Chery Tiggo is poised to secure a top three spot as it takes on the winless Galeries Tower team at 5 p.m.
Despite the Hightowers' current standing, they are capable of pulling off an upset, though the Crossovers remain confident, especially after their morale-boosting five-set victory over the High Speed Hitters.
American import Khat Bell, who scored 39 points against PLDT, is expected to lead Chery Tiggo’s charge with support from Ara Galang, Pauline Gaston, Seth Rodriguez, Myle Paat, Shaya Adorador, and Mary Rhose Dapol, among others.
The Highrisers continue their search for a win, relying on Thai reinforcement Sutadta Chuewulim and locals France Ronquillo, Ysa Jimenez, Graze Bombita, Andrea Marzan, Roselle Baliton and Alyssa Eroa.
"Our win against PLDT gave us good momentum, and we hope to finish the first round in the top two of our pool," said Chery Tiggo coach Kungfu Reyes.
