Playing for pride, PLDT KOs Creamline, sends Nxled to Finals

With nothing but pride, honor and their commitment to the game at stake, the defending champion PLDT High Speed Hitters delivered perhaps their most meaningful victory of the PVL Invitational.

Already out of the title picture and unable to make the Finals because of an inferior tiebreak score, PLDT could have simply gone through the motions. Instead, they fought as if the championship itself were on the line, stunning two-time champion Creamline, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12, in a gripping two-hour, 23-minute battle Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It was a victory that may not have changed PLDT’s place in the standings, but it spoke volumes about the defending champions’ pride, character and commitment to their fans.

And in the process, the High Speed Hitters delivered the perfect ending to a tournament that had promised – and repeatedly produced – unpredictability.

PLDT’s triumph spoiled Creamline’s bid for a return to the Finals and, more significantly, handed Nxled a free ride to the championship round against Thailand’s EST Cola, a matchup few could have imagined when the tournament began.

But that was precisely the beauty – and madness – of this Invitational.

With an evenly matched field and two determined guest teams eager to make their mark, fortunes shifted from one game to the next, leaving the Finals picture unsettled until the very end.

EST Cola, which formalized its Finals berth with a sweep of Ho Chi Minh earlier, finished on top with a 4-1 record and secured the first championship slot.

Nxled, Creamline and PLDT all wound up at 3-2, but the Chameleons grabbed the second Finals berth with 10 FIVB tiebreak points. The Cool Smashers settled for third with nine, while the High Speed Hitters finished fourth with eight.

The one-game championship showdown between EST Cola and Nxled is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Before that, PLDT and Creamline will meet again at 4 p.m. for third place, while Farm Fresh and Ho Chi Minh collide at 1:30 p.m. for fifth.

Had Creamline beaten PLDT, the Cool Smashers would have secured a rematch with EST Cola for the championship.

Instead, PLDT – despite having nothing to gain in the standings – refused to concede anything on the court.

The young Thais had already put Creamline’s Finals hopes in jeopardy with their victory Friday, and the High Speed Hitters completed the job in dramatic fashion, turning what they could afford to lose into a statement win.

They played not for a championship berth, but for pride.

And they played better than their best.

PLDT twice stared down the possibility of letting the match slip away, only to summon the resolve that has defined the defending champions in pressure-packed finishes.

After falling behind in the fourth set, the High Speed Hitters battled back and forced a decider. Then, with the fifth set locked at 5-all, they broke the game open with a decisive surge sparked by Jovie Prado’s clutch three-point run and helped along by a string of Creamline miscues.

For a team that had thrived in nerve-racking finishes, Creamline suddenly looked uncharacteristically disorganized at the most critical stage.

Three more errors helped PLDT race to a 12-7 lead after Mika Reyes rejected Tots Carlos.

A PLDT net violation and a Jaja Minowa block on Reyes briefly revived the Cool Smashers, who closed within 9-12.

But the High Speed Hitters would not be denied.

Kim Dy drilled another attack before scoring on an off-the-block shot to put PLDT at match point.

Creamline survived that first opportunity after Savi Davison missed a push and Minowa blocked Dy following a long, tense rally.

Minowa saved another match point with a rare off-the-block hit, but Davison – who had been virtually unstoppable with her power attacks from all angles, including the back row – ended the marathon with a clever drop ball that caught the Creamline defense flat-footed.

It was the fitting finish to a night when PLDT refused to accept that its season had already lost its stakes.

Davison sizzled with a career-high 37 points, while also coming through with 18 excellent digs and 24 receptions. But it was Prado who shone brightest, producing a triple-double of 14 points, 11 digs and 14 receptions to earn Best Player of the Game honors.

More than the numbers, however, Prado embodied the spirit that carried PLDT through the marathon.

“Sobrang happy, kasi hindi naman natin maikakaila na Creamline is a champion team din. So ayun, kumbaga nag-mindset na lang kami na mahirap talaga ‘yung game. Hindi basta-basta ibibigay ng Creamline sa amin ‘yun,” said the soft-spoken Prado, who did most of her talking on the court.

Reflecting on the victory, Prado added: “Nitong mga patapos na ‘yung liga na ‘to, parang tiningnan ko lang sila na… gusto ko i-dedicate ‘to sa lahat ng teammates ko, sa buong team ko na nagpupursigi talaga. Ayun lang, parang nag-mindset lang ako na ibibigay ko ‘tong laro kong ‘to para sa kanila.”

That, perhaps, was the real story of PLDT’s night.

The High Speed Hitters may have lost their chance to defend the crown, but they refused to lose their pride.

They could have played spoiler merely by showing up. Instead, they played spoiler with everything they had.

And by doing so, they not only denied Creamline another shot at the championship – they reinforced why they remain defending champions in more than name.

Dy also finished with 14 points, while Reyes added 11 markers and Majoy Baron chipped in eight.

Minowa came away with 25 points, most of them from her signature heavy quick attacks, while Jema Galanza added 20, Michele Gumabao had 11, and Alyssa Valdez and Bea de Leon finished with seven points apiece.

But in the stretches when the Cool Smashers were expected to flourish, they blinked. The High Speed Hitters, meanwhile, stayed sharp, composed, and fully locked in, capitalizing on every lapse to keep the pressure on. Photo and text: pvl.ph