High Speed Hitters gain added offense as Davison returns in Cebu
Savi Davison returns at the perfect time for PLDT this weekend in Cebu City, where the High Speed Hitters can make good use of her prolific offense and the PVL On Tour gets to parade added star power at USJ-R Coliseum.
After giving the Filipino Canadian a well-deserved break and hardly showing signs of missing her, PLDT coach Rald Ricafort confirmed to Inquirer the availability of Davison when they battle vastly improved Nxled and winless Galeries Tower on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, in the Queen City of the South.
Though Ricafort said that the reigning All-Filipino Conference Best Outside Spiker is in good shape, Davison won’t be rushed in any way as trying a new team system remains the priority in this preseason tournament, where they remain unbeaten in Pool A after three games.
“Physically, she’s in good condition,” Ricafort told Inquirer in Filipino. “But since we’ve made some adjustments in our system this conference, we’ll ease her in gradually, depending on how the game goes.”
Davison, who last played in the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference and the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Champions League in Pasig City, has been training with Kianna Dy, Kim Fajardo, Majoy Baron, Mika Reyes, Kiesha Bedonia, Jovy Prado and Kath Arado since arriving in the country.
Ricafort is bracing for their match with another unbeaten team in Nxled, where the winner clinches the first outright quarterfinal berth in Pool A.
Nxled’s rise was led by No.4 overall Draft pick Lyann De Guzman, with captain Chiara Permentilla, EJ Cariño and new opposite hitter Jov Fernandez.
“We know facing Nxled and Galeries is crucial since we’re close in the standings [along with Farm Fresh], so we need to lock in and double our efforts for these two games while taking it one game at a time,” said Ricafort.
“I don’t think we have any clear advantage since all teams have really improved, so we’ll just have to work hard again to earn it.”
The Highspeed Hitters also needed to make practice adjustments due to the heavy rains brought about by the southwest monsoon.
On Monday night, the team was stranded after practice and had to be rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard and Army from a gym in Quezon City due to severe flooding.
“We had to cancel our weekend and Tuesday practices since we got stranded last Monday, so our preparation became tighter,” added Ricafort. “Hopefully, we can execute the strategies and scouting we prepared for this weekend.”
