PLDT fights for PVL survival vs Kurashiki Ablaze

Games Thursday
(PhilSports Arena)

4 p.m. – PLDT vs Kurashiki Ablaze
6:30 p.m. – Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh vs Cignal

MANILA, Philippines – PLDT aims to stay in the finals hunt while Kurashiki Ablaze of Japan seeks an outright championship berth as the two collide Thursday in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference at the PhilSports Arena.

It will be a do-or-die game for the High Speed Hitters, who own a 2-2 semis record, while the Japanese, unbeaten in three outings, would zoom straight to the one-game finale if they could win just a set their 4 p.m. duel with the former.

“We were happy to build momentum from our win over Vietnam,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort, referring to the team’s 25-23, 25-14, 25-23 win over Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh Monday.

For PLDT to advance, it has to win via straight sets over Kurashiki and hopes that the latter ends up dropping another three-setter to Creamline the next day.

The Japanese club, in contrast, would need just to win one set to claim the second and last finals spot and arrange a knockout title duel with defending champion Creamline, which seized the first berth after a 4-0 semis start.

That’s why Ricafort is just thinking of the positives that they would gain playing a tough Kurashiki side.

“Pero hindi na namin masyado pinoproblema kung ano mangyayari basta gagalingan namin sa Thursday kasi focused kami more on the challenge na makalaro ang Japanese team na ganun kabilis at ganun kagaling,” he added.

PLDT’s multi-titled libero Kath Arado, for her part, is bracing for a tough match against Kurashiki.

“When I played a Japanese team before, I think it was last year, what I remembered most about them was their discipline. And sa nakita naming sa game nila talagang me disiplina sila sa bawat galaw nila,” said Arado.

Truly, the Japanese were all business in winning their first three games against the Vietnamese, Cignal HD Spikers and the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers to move on the cusp of barging into the finals.