WHAT began as a showcase of net dominance and middle-line firepower turned into a gruelling test of will, nerve, and resilience for the PLDT High Speed Hitters.
Squandering a 2-0 lead in a winner-take-all match could have shattered the psyche of even the most seasoned squad, but in the end, the High Speed Hitters proved they had more than just muscle—they had the heart of champions.
PLDT didn’t just survive the scare, they stormed back in the fifth set the way future champions do: focused, fearless, and ferocious. They didn’t blink. While Savi Davison’s explosive presence helped tip the momentum, what truly sealed the victory was their tried-and-tested formula of commanding the net, blocking lanes, and exploiting the middle with quick, lethal strikes.
At the center of that onslaught stood Mika Reyes.
When Chery Tiggo’s defense hesitated for a split second, Reyes was already landing from her attack. One, two, three, four rapid-fire kills later, the scoreboard began to tip. This was followed by a kill block from Majoy Baron and a clutch denial by Reyes, capped off by a back-breaking crosscourt hammer from Kim Dy.
What fans expected to be a tense, see-sawing decider instead turned into a coronation. Before a screaming Sunday crowd of more than 11,000, PLDT didn’t just win; they took the fifth set in emphatic, almost cruel fashion, 15-8, to complete their unblemished eight-game sweep.
For PLDT, this was redemption. Head coach Rald Ricafort reflected on the journey.
“I now see all those heartbreaks, all those near-misses, as necessary. They prepared us for this,” he said. He added, “I’m just proud of how the girls held on until the very last set. That was the mindset we wanted—strong, brave, unbreakable.”
Reyes, named Finals MVP, felt the win transcended any individual honor. “Our coaches always remind us to stay present. No lead is safe,” she said. “I’m just grateful that we held on—to each other, to the moment.” For her, the team’s victory meant more than any personal award.
Savi Davison, the team’s star scorer, was quick to shut down the idea that PLDT’s success centered on her. “PLDT was already here before I arrived. I wasn’t added to flip a switch,” she said. “This team is my family. I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.”
Meanwhile, Kim Dy, returning from a career-threatening injury, couldn’t hide her emotion. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for over a year,” she said. “It wasn’t easy—blood, sweat, and tears. But here we are, champions.” For her, the victory was even sweeter as she got to share it with longtime teammates from her collegiate days.
At the heart of that final push was veteran setter Kim Fajardo. “You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste—not another fourth-place finish. That kept happening before, and I didn’t want us to go through that again,” she said, speaking candidly about her personal drive to break free from the team’s past disappointments.
For libero Kath Arado, the team’s anchor on defense, the victory was a culmination of a long, grueling road. “I’m just so proud,” she said. “From Day 1, the sacrifices of this team…it’s been incredible. They give us everything we need; all we have to do is apply it on the court.” This wasn’t just a win. It was a reckoning, a reminder that scars can become strength.
