By ADRIAN STEWART CO
PLDT High Speed Hitters kept its finals hopes alive after a 25-23, 25-14, 25-23 sweep of Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh of Vietnam in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational semifinals at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Monday night, July 24.
Honey Royse Tubino came away with 12 points while Ilongga Fiola Ceballos and Michelle Morente contributed 11 markers apiece as the High Speed Hitters moved up to solo third spot with a 2-2 slate.
Aklanon Dell Palomata and Rhea Dimaculangan added seven and five points, respectively, while Rachel Austero contributed four markers, all in the latter part of the third set, for the High Speed Hitters.
The High Speed Hitters survived a tight opening set battle with Kinh Bac before posting a walkaway win in the second frame. PLDT then pulled away midway in the third before quashing the Vietnamese late rally on Austero’s clutch hits.
“Happy for the game. Nagawa naman ‘yung pinag-planuhan namin versus Kinh Bac. Also happy for the players who stepped up off the bench,” High Speed Hitters head coach Rald Ricafort said.
Huong Nguyen and Xuan Le led Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh’s charge with 14 and 12 points, respectively, while Quynh Pham and My Pha combined for 15 points as they dropped to 0-2.
Meanwhile, Kurashiki Ablaze of Japan recorded their second win in the single-round robin semifinals after a 25-23, 25-16, 25-23 victory over the Cignal HD Spikers. The Ablaze improved to 2-0, while the HD Spikers dropped to 1-3.
Asaka Tamaru spearheaded the offense with 16 markers, while Saya Taniguchi and Yukino Yano had 11 and 10, respectively, as the Ablaze improved to a perfect 2-0 win-loss record.
Kyoka Ohshima was named as the Player of the Game after registering 22 excellent sets and three points, while Saki Tanabe provided key hits to end up with six markers in a two-set stint for the Japan-based team.
Frances Xinia Molina finished with 12 points, but did not get enough support as Rachel Anne Daquis struggled with just five points as the HD Spikers dropped to a 1-3 win-loss record./ASC, WDJ