MANILA, Philippines — The PLDT High Speed Hitters may have already been eliminated from the championship race, but they still found a way to shake up the entire Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference.
Playing for pride, PLDT stunned the Creamline Cool Smashers, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12, on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum—ending Creamline’s bid for another trip to the Finals and, in the process, sending the Nxled Chameleons into the championship round for the first time in franchise history.
It was a dramatic finish to the preliminary round, with three teams ultimately finishing at 3-2. Nxled secured the second Finals berth through the tournament’s tiebreak system, edging both PLDT and Creamline on match points.
PLDT plays spoiler
PLDT entered the match with little left to gain in terms of the standings.
The defending champions had already been eliminated from contention after Thailand’s EST Cola secured the first Finals berth earlier Sunday by sweeping Ho Chi Minh City, 25-19, 26-24, 26-24.
But instead of simply going through the motions, PLDT delivered one of its strongest performances of the conference.
The High Speed Hitters battled back after Creamline took control of the third set and eventually forced a deciding fifth set. PLDT then closed out the match, 15-12, to produce one of the biggest results of the preliminary round.
Savi Davison explodes for 37 points
The driving force behind PLDT’s upset was Savi Davison, who produced a career-best 37 points.
Davison unleashed 35 attacks and two blocks, while also contributing 24 receptions and 18 digs, according to reports on the match. Her final offensive blow was particularly significant: she delivered the match-winning spike that completed PLDT’s comeback.
Her performance gave PLDT the firepower it needed against a Creamline side that entered the match with a clear path toward the Finals.
Instead, the Cool Smashers were left fighting for third place.
Creamline’s Finals hopes disappear
Creamline needed a strong result to stay in the top two after entering the final day with a 3-1 record.
The Cool Smashers had already shown their championship credentials during the conference, but their five-set loss to PLDT proved costly.
With Creamline, PLDT and Nxled all ending the preliminary round at 3-2, the final spot came down to the league’s tiebreak criteria.
Nxled emerged on top of that three-way tie, earning the second Finals ticket and making franchise history in the process.
Nxled gets a historic breakthrough
PLDT’s loss to Nxled earlier in the tournament had put the Chameleons in a difficult position.
But after PLDT eliminated Creamline’s path to the Finals, Nxled suddenly found itself heading to the championship round.
It marks Nxled’s first-ever PVL Finals appearance, a breakthrough made even more dramatic because the Chameleons did not secure their place by winning on the final day—they earned it through the results of a match they were not playing in.
In other words, PLDT’s victory became Nxled’s golden ticket.
EST Cola completes the Finals cast
Nxled will face EST Cola of Thailand in the PVL Invitational Conference Finals.
The Thai club secured the first Finals berth after finishing the preliminary round with a 4-1 record.
EST Cola’s victory over Ho Chi Minh City earlier Sunday ensured that it would finish inside the top two before the PLDT-Creamline showdown even began.
That sets up a championship matchup between a breakthrough PVL franchise and an international challenger.
Jaja Santiago’s return ends without a Finals appearance
For Creamline, the defeat is particularly painful because the team entered the conference with renewed expectations following the addition of Jaja Santiago-Minowa.
The 6-foot-5 middle blocker had been a major part of Creamline’s push during the conference, but even her arrival could not prevent the Cool Smashers from missing the Finals for the second consecutive year.
The result also means Creamline will have to settle for the battle for third place instead of another shot at the PVL Invitational crown.
A victory that changed the tournament
PLDT’s five-set victory will not send the defending champions back to the Finals.
But it may have produced the most consequential result of their campaign.
The High Speed Hitters finished the preliminary round at 3-2, tied with Creamline and Nxled, but their win ensured that the Chameleons—not the heavily favored Cool Smashers—would claim the final championship berth.
That makes PLDT the ultimate spoiler of the night.
And for Nxled, it means a historic opportunity has arrived.
The Chameleons are going to their first PVL Finals—and they have PLDT to thank for it.
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