AFTER finishing second in their respective pools, PLDT and Creamline now face daunting tasks in the quarterfinals of the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Champions Cup at the Philsports Arena.
It’s win-or-go-home as both squads square off against the top seeds of the opposite groups today (Thursday).
The knockout stage kicks off at 4 p.m. with the High Speed Hitters, who placed second in Pool D, battling Pool A top seed Zhetysu VC of Kazakhstan, and the Cool Smashers, who placed second in Pool A, clashing with the undefeated Nakhon Ratchasima QminC from Thailand, the top team from Pool D, at 7 p.m.
Petro Gazz will take on Beijing Baic Motor on Friday.
Despite a heartbreaking five-set loss to the Thais last Tuesday, PLDT proved its resilience, rallying from a 0-2 hole before falling short in the decider. That performance showcased the High Speed Hitters’ fight, but against the powerful Kazakhs, resilience alone won’t be enough. They'll need to execute a near-perfect game plan to crack the tall and disciplined Zhetysu defense, which had previously swept the Cool Smashers.
PLDT coach Rald Ricafort and his team have had a brief window to analyze their opponents during Wednesday’s break, drawing up tactics to slow down the Kazakh juggernaut. The margin for error? Almost none.
But Ricafort believes their grueling five-set showdown against Nakhon Ratchasima will serve as a valuable learning experience – one that will ignite his team’s determination.
“Same nung bago mag-Thailand. Alam naman namin high level, malakas and all. Pero bilog pa rin naman bola. Tulad ngayon, wala naman nag-expect na makakahaboll kami ng dalawa. Pero umabot kami sa dulo (Same as before we faced Thailand. We already knew the level was high, that they were strong and all. But the ball is still round. Like now – no one really expected us to catch up by two sets. But we made it all the way to the end),” said Ricafort.
“So tingnan ulit namin kung saan aabot against Kazakhstan. Pero definitely ilalabas at tatrabahuhin namin. So tingnan natin sa Thursday (So we’ll see again how far we can go against Kazakhstan. But we will give our all and work hard for it. So let’s see on Thursday),” added Ricafort.
Fil-Canadian Savannah Davison – currently the third-best scorer in the tournament – will once again anchor the squad alongside Cuban import Wilma Salas and resurgent Kianna Dy against a Kazakhstan side powered by Karyna Denysova, Valeriya Yakutina and Tatyana Nikitina.
Likewise, Creamline is staring down an even steeper hill. Nakhon Ratchasima enters the quarterfinals with an imposing reputation, having survived a scare against the Angels and sweeping Pool D. PR