Sister teams slug it out

MANILA, Philippines — It’s a pair of duels between sister teams as PLDT tangles with Cignal, and Akari collides with Nxled in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Arena today.

The High Speed Hitters, on top and unscathed in three outings, clash with the Super Spikers (3-1) at 6:30 p.m., succeeding the 4 p.m. face-off between the Chameleons (3-1) and the Chargers (0-3).

The Manny V. Pangilinan franchises have an axe to grind against each other with Cignal ending PLDT’s 15-game streak dating back from its PVL on Tour and Invitational title conquests with a win in the group stages of the Reinforced Conference.

PLDT has since avenged the loss after eliminating Cignal in the quarterfinals of the same conference but was eliminated by ZUS Coffee in the semifinals, denying the High Speed Hitters a shot at a three-peat feat.

“Cignal is strong so we really have to prepare hard,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort.

The Nxled-Akari duel should be equally intriguing, especially now that fortunes have turned.

Akari, which had outperformed its sister team a year ago, is now the one chasing Nxled after dropping its first three outings while the latter has roared to a strong 3-1 start that put it in a three-way logjam at No. 2 with Cignal and Creamline on 3-1 slates.