ONLY three teams remain in contention for the No. 1 seed heading into the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference knockout quarterfinals.
While there’s no special incentive for topping the standings, finishing atop pool play would give PLDT, Farm Fresh or ZUS Coffee the best path for a deep playoff run against the lower seeds.
With the field so tightly packed, multiple ties across the board are highly likely by the end of the final two preliminary-round match days this week.
That includes the race for the No. 1 seed, where all three teams could finish the eliminations with identical 7-1 records.
Here’s an overview of the three-way logjam before the final match week:
- PLDT (6-1): 18 points, 3.000 set ratio (18/6)
- FARM FRESH (6-1): 18 points, 2.714 SR (19/7)
- ZUS COFFEE (6-1): 17 points, 2.250 SR (18/8)
Here’s how each team can clinch the mini-race to the summit of what has been a closely contested group stage.
Worth noting, however, is how a loss regardless of how many sets will instantly rule out any of these three teams in the race for the No. 1 seed.
PLDT: Win and, almost certainly, finish No. 1
NEXT GAME: Petro Gazz (4-3) | Nov. 20 | Thursday | 6:30 p.m. | Mall of Asia Arena
While PLDT has the clearest path to the No. 1 seed, it also faces the toughest opponent of the three.
Playoff-bound Petro Gazz, led by Brooke Van Sickle and Lindsey Vander Weide, currently sits seventh in the combined team standings and is hunting for its fifth win to climb the pecking order.
For Savi Davison & Co., the most straightforward route to the top spot is a sweep of Petro Gazz.
A straight-sets victory will hand the High Speed Hitters the No. 1 seed outright, regardless of how Farm Fresh and ZUS Coffee perform in their final assignments.
If PLDT wins in four sets, it can still claim the top spot only if Farm Fresh fails to beat Chery Tiggo EV in straight sets. In that scenario, the Foxies would rise to No. 1 by set ratio (FFF 3.143 – 3.000 PLDT).
A five-set victory, meanwhile, will favor PLDT for the top seed only if Farm Fresh also needs five sets to get past Chery Tiggo EV.
FARM FRESH: Win, PLDT to drop certain number of sets
NEXT GAME: Chery Tiggo EV (2-5) | Nov. 20 | Thursday | 4 p.m. | Mall of Asia Arena
The Foxies have partial control of their top-seed bid but must first get past the also-ran Crossovers to even stay in contention.
The ideal path for Farm Fresh is a straight-sets win. However, a three-set victory alone won’t guarantee the top seed.
To overtake for the No. 1 seed, Farm Fresh must sweep and have PLDT drop at least one set to Petro Gazz, regardless of the final score.
A four-set win can hand the Foxies the top seed only if the PLDT–Petro Gazz match goes to five sets.
Should Farm Fresh win in five sets, only a PLDT loss would still allow them to claim the top spot.
ZUS COFFEE: Win 3-0/3-1; PLDT, Farm Fresh to lose two sets each
NEXT GAME: NXLED (0-7) | Nov. 18 | Tuesday | 1:30 p.m. | Ynares Center II
ZUS Coffee may be on the back end of the three-way race, but on paper, it has the best chance to post a strong result on the final day of prelims.
The Thunderbelles will take on a Nxled side that has yet to win in seven outings this conference.
Even with a straight-sets victory, certain outcomes in PLDT and Farm Fresh’s matches must still fall their way.
A ZUS Coffee sweep will be enough for the top seed only if PLDT loses and Farm Fresh goes to five sets against Chery Tiggo, regardless of the result.
A four or five-set win won't be enough for the No. 1 seed if just one of PLDT or Farm Fresh win their final group stage matches. Only losses from both teams will leave the door open for the Thunderbelles to still go No. 1 in the event that it drops at least one set to Nxled.
In summary, the winning combinations go something like this:
|
TEAM |
CURRENT RECORD |
MATCH POINTS |
SET RATIO |
HOW TO GET NO.1 SEED |
|
PLDT |
6-1 |
18 |
3.000 |
Sweep Petro Gazz or win in 4–5 sets depending on Farm Fresh result |
|
Farm Fresh |
6-1 |
18 |
2.714 |
Must sweep Crossovers and have PLDT drop at least one set; 5-set loss only works if PLDT loses 3–4 sets and ZUS Coffee loses |
|
ZUS Coffee |
6-1 |
17 |
2.250 |
Must win straight sets and hope both PLDT and Farm Fresh lose under specific conditions |
What if they all lose and go 6-2?
Mathematically, there are 27 possible combinations of losing outcomes across the three teams that would leave all of them at 6-2.
Of those scenarios, PLDT takes the No. 1 seed in 20, Farm Fresh in seven, and ZUS Coffee in none which means that a Thunderbelles loss knocks them out of contention.
Simply put, the only way for the Foxies to go to No. 1 in a potential 6-2 three-way tie is if all three happen: a five-set Farm Fresh loss, a three or four set PLDT loss and any ZUS Coffee loss.
In this scenario, the final tally would see Farm Fresh at 19 points, PLDT at 18 points, and ZUS Coffee at 17 or 18 points, with PLDT still holding the edge on set ratio over ZUS Coffee for the No. 2 seed.
The dark horse in this hypothetical race? Creamline.
The defending champions are 5-2 and have Cignal left in the preliminary round. Chances of them going No. 1 hinge on all three of PLDT, Farm Fresh and ZUS Coffee dropping to 6-2.
If Creamline wins in straight sets and the three other teams all lose in three or four sets, the top seed goes to Creamline.
Any other winning outcome will depend on the Cool Smashers securing a superior points and/or set ratio than the three other contenders.
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