Games on Tuesday
(PhilSports Arena)
4 p.m. – Akari vs Farm Fresh
6:30 p.m. – PLDT vs ZUS
FOUR TEAMS, including a red-hot PLDT, aim to catch the last bus to the quarterfinal round in Tuesday’s last Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference qualifications matches at the PhilSports Arena.
The High Speed Hitters, the No. 4 seeds with an 8-3 record, will come in as the favorites when they clash with the ZUS Thunderbelles, who wound up at No. 9 with a 4-7 mark, at 6:30 p.m.
The Manny V. Pangilinan-owned franchise should draw strength from the momentum it built via a four-game streak that was highlighted by an epic 30-25, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25, 16-14 win over dynastic champion Creamline on Feb. 15 in Antipolo.
Interestingly, PLDT’s last triumph in the preliminaries came at the same club it will face in the qualifications, ZUS, via a 25-20, 25-16, 25-15 rout on Feb. 22 in Passi, Iloilo.
“We need this win for our confidence because we know it will be tougher in the next round,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort, which is eyeing its first podium finish, if not a breakthrough crown.
Also eyeing a place in the best-of-three quarters unfolding on Saturday are Farm Fresh and Akari, which collide at 4 p.m.
The Foxies and the Chargers finished with identical 5-6 marks but the former took the higher seed — sixth.
While the victors advance to the next phase, the losers will fall into the six-squad, two-group play-in round-robin tournament where the top team from each bracket will punch the last ticket to the quarters. — Joey Villar
