After making her first appearance for the High Speed Hitters during the PVL on Tour, Savi Davison must now reinsert herself into the PLDT system before the quarterfinals.
CEBU CITY — PLDT ace hitter Savi Davison returned to the lineup of the High Speed Hitters just in the nick of time in the preseason, dipping into a game where they clinched an outright quarterfinals berth at the expense of the Nxled Chameleons in a sweep in Cebu on Saturday.
After going on holiday and missing the team’s first three games, Davison returned to training and suited up for the High Speed Hitters against the erstwhile unbeaten Chameleons in a crucial battle that gave the winner an outright ticket to the quarters.
Davison saw little action and finished with two points after being subbed in late in the third set.
[READ: Kim Kianna Dy, PLDT nab outright quarterfinals seat with big win over Nxled in PVL on Tour]
According to head coach Rald Ricafort, Davison is in the middle of getting herself reacquainted with PLDT’s system and the changes made in the past few months she was away from the team.
“Conditioning-[wise] ok naman siya talaga, 'yung pag-integrate lang ulit ['yung kailangan]. Medyo naiba 'yung system this time dahil sa line ups ng makakalaro. Pero 'yun nga dahan-dahan makakabalik,” said Ricafort.
“May gigil pa,” he added.
Against the Chameleons, it hardly looked like the High Speed Hitters needed Davison after a 25-11 opening set that dictated their performance for the whole match.
But of course, for Ricafort, more choices on offense will be key and they’re hoping she’ll be back in lethal form in no time — especially with the playoffs coming up.
“Kung mabalik sa dati na scoring machine mas makakatulong pa 'yun,” he said.
Still, there’s no need to rush for Davison, especially after key contributions from their middles against Nxled. PLDT has enough firepower to give the Fil-Canadian a little more time to get herself going.
Majoy Baron and Mika Reyes combined for 22 points in the game against Nxled, highlighting their prowess at the net. Overall, PLDT tallied 13 rejections compared to Nxled's five.
Ricafort lauded his middles for being able to step up to the challenge.
“'Yun naman 'yung pinaghandaan din tulad ng nakaraang games na hindi lang sa offense na-activate 'yung middles. 'Pag maayos 'yung blocking, nagtutuloy-tuloy from floor to counter attack. Proud ako sa middles na nakaperform sila,” he said.
Wing spikers like Kiesha Bedonia and Jovy Prado also keep themselves productive for the High Speed Hitters with 15 and seven points, respectively.
The High Speed Hitters have one game remaining in pool play in the PVL on Tour and are touting a 4-0 record. They can sweep their pool games when they face the Galeries Tower Highrisers on Sunday, July 27, still here in Cebu.