High Speed Hitters down Foxies to enter semis, avoid play-ins

(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)

4 p.m. - Nxled vs Galeries Tower

6:30 p.m. - Akari vs Choco Mucho 

MANILA, Philippines — The PLDT High Speed Hitters knew that making the PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals would earn them two important perks, including a longer time to prepare for it.

“We have two weeks to prepare and we’ll have just two days to rest in the Holy Week,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort moments after the Manny V. Pangilinan franchise’s 18-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-22 win over Farm Fresh in Thursday’s qualifying round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

That rest, of course, would come on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

And the High Speed Hitters don’t mind.

“Where can we go in two days? We’ll probably just sleep, rest,” said Savi Davison.

“Maybe I’ll get a spa,” Kianna Dy, for her part, said.

Of course, the other benefit was avoiding the grueling play-in, the burden of which went to Farm Fresh, which will tackle the winner between Nxled and Galeries Tower on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Davison and Dy, who poured in 22 and 19 points, respectively, would need every chance of recharging with the little time they have for a respite in the Lenten Season as they would go into the round-robin semis for a chance at making the finals for the first time in this conference.

“It’s going to be a tough semis and we really need to prepare hard for it,” said Ricafort.

PLDT weathered a 25-point explosion of Farm Fresh’s Tisha Tubu, who carried the latter when it jumped the gun on the former in seizing the opening and nearly took the second but ended up imploding late.

That’s the opportunity the High Speed Hitters needed to turn things around in its favor to hurdle whatever barrier put by the Foxies the last two sets in claiming the win.