PLDT, picking up from where it left off in the eliminations, swept Army-Black Mamba, 25-22, 25-18, 25-21, for a winning start in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference yesterday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The substitutes gave the High Speed Hitters the victory in the opener, as Eli Soyud drilled in a kill followed by Wendy Semana’s set-clinching service ace.

“Yung timing dapat sa pagpasok sa mga crucial kasi alam na namin yung ini-ensayo namin, everybody na nasa bench,” said PLDT coach George Pascua on making double subs in the match.

The High Speed Hitters then took the next two sets behind Mika Reyes, who tallied a match-best 16 points.

Veteran Rhea Dimaculangan was a stabilizing force for PLDT with 24 excellent sets.

Living up to their billing as the No. 2 team in the eliminations, the High Speed Hitters simply wanted to elevate their level of play with foreign squads coming in next week.

“Siyempre happy pero nire-remind namin ang bawat isa na huwag kaming complacent. Kailangan maging focused kami,” said Dimaculangan after the one-hour, 31-minute contest.

Dell Palomata added 12 points, Chin-Chin Basas had two service aces for a 11-point outing, while Fiola Ceballos also fired two aces to finish with 10 points to go with 15 digs and 14 receptions for PLDT.

The Lady Troopers, who also lost to the High Speed Hitters in the eliminations, have dropped two in a row.

Royse Tubino led Army with 10 points, while Nene Bautista contributed eight points.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Theodore P. Jurado