PLDT won a second straight championship, besting Japan’s Kobe Shinwa University, 21-25, 31-29, 25-22, 25-18 decision to win the 2025 PVL Invitational finals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
By completing back-to-back tournament sweeps, PLDT carved out a 13-game tear that now stands as the PVL’s fourth-longest unbeaten run.
It also took the High Speed Hitters a fortnight to go from preseason champions to Invitational winners, the second-shortest gap between title runs in PVL history.
Only Creamline’s eight-day turnaround in 2024 was quicker when it claimed the Reinforced and Invitational championships to win the Grand Slam.
Now seeing double, PLDT steps into elite company as only the third franchise with multiple PVL titles alongside Creamline’s 10 and Petro Gazz’s three.
"Ni-remind ko na lang talaga sa kanila na maging present kahit na sobrang bilis mangyari. Going to this game naman talaga, ‘yung focus at patience talaga namin ‘yung matetest, ayun lang siguro. Sumabay talaga ‘yung good breaks, lalo na ‘yung nahabol namin ‘yung second set," said PLDT head coach and now three-time PVL champion Rald Ricafort.
"Nu'ng third and fourth [sets], anybody’s game na ulit kaya importante rin talaga na na-recover namin ‘yung first set na litong-lito kami nung simula dahil sobrang pinaghandaan nga talaga nila."
Tournament MVP Savi Davison went for 20 points, 18 receptions and nine digs in the title game, backed by 29 excellent sets from Kim Fajardo.
PLDT's La Salle core also stuffed the scoresheets led by Kianna Dy's 17, rookie winger Alleiah Malaluan's 15 and Mika Reyes' 12.
Finals MVP Kath Arado posted 22 excellent digs as her defensive prowess earned her the top individual nod, the first for a libero in league history.
PLDT's championship-defining moment
Following Kobe Shinwa's explosive start in the opening frame, a tug-of-war ensured in the second set which turned the match on its head.
The High Speed Hitters needed five set points and had to repulse two from Kobe Shinwa to close out a 33-minute sprint. An attack attempt that sailed out from Kokoro Yasuma drew PLDT level.
Davison led the PLDT takeover in the last two sets, one where it even built a double-digit cushion in the final frame to deny Kobe Shinwa's bid to force sudden death.
Best outside hitter Nagisa Komatsuda paced the loss with 22 points, alongside best setter Sakura Furuta's 31 excellent sets.
Ace libero Rino Hirami had 19 receptions and 17 digs to combat PLDT's hard-hitting exploits for the most part before running out of gas in the end.
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