With Baron leading defense, High Speed Hitters triumph
The PLDT High Speed Hitters stretched their winning run to three on Thursday, with Majoy Baron leading a strong defensive showing against the Akari Chargers.
Baron had a season-best seven blocks in PLDT’s 25-22, 25-27, 25-21, 25-15 victory over Akari, as she and libero Kath Arado made sure the defensive work of the team would not go unnoticed amid a strong offense that featured five double-digit scorers.
“We know that Akari has strong net defense and floor defense, so in our preparation, we really trusted our system. Studying the opponent was also very important,” Baron told the reporters after finishing with 14 points and more than half of her team’s 13 blocks.
PLDT’s performance on both sides kept the team unbeaten in the tournament, with a clash against tough-as-nails Cignal coming up on the weekend.
Baron, a three-time PVL Best Middle Blocker, held her ground against an equally tall Akari side with fellow ex-La Salle Lady Spiker Fifi Sharma and former national team player Ced Domingo on the other side.
The Chargers also had their share of defensive stability courtesy of Grethcel Soltones and libero Justine Jazareno.
Baron led PLDT in kill blocks for the last two games. She had five of the team’s 15 blocks against Capital 1 last week.
“For me, getting blocks is very important because I’m a middle blocker—that’s my main job,” she said.
Teammates help
The 6-foot Baron credited the whole team for their defense, especially libero Kath Arado, who defended the floor with 26 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions.
“I’m happy because I was able to get those blocks and it’s really because my teammates were helping me. They were giving me advice—like Kath Arado telling me which area to close. That really helped me a lot,” said Baron.
“Our strengths show when our serve is working. If our serve is good, our net defense becomes solid. And if our net defense is solid, our floor defense follows. It’s really about teamwork.”
Besides their tremendous floor and net defense, Savi Davison continued to power PLDT with 18 points, while setter Kim Fajardo scattered the offensive wealth, resulting in balanced scoring.
“We won’t deny that in the past, Sav was carrying a big load because Kianna and Sav’s diagonals weren’t contributing as much yet. Now, our middles are consistently there and Kianna is getting healthier, which makes the three-wing rotation more important and balanced,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort.
“As for Sav’s diagonals, Alleiah was actually prepared for that role from the start. She just had a minor setback and got sick before the Creamline game. Jovie (Prado)’s contribution also isn’t just about scoring. Sometimes you need a mature presence inside the court.”
PLDT looks to stay unbeaten against Cignal, which also has tall middle blockers Jackie Acuña and Rose Doria-Aquino, as well as scorers Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos.
