In a pivotal weekend triple-bill at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna on Saturday, Chery Tiggo and Petro Gazz are poised to secure crucial victories against eliminated opponents, while PLDT fights for survival against back-to-the-wall Cignal in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
With only four playdates left in the preliminaries, the semifinal picture remains uncertain with five teams – Choco Mucho (8-2), Creamline (8-2), Chery Tiggo (7-2), Petro Gazz (7-2) and PLDT (7-2) – all in contention for the coveted four slots.
With a 5-4 card, Cignal’s chances of salvaging a semis seat appear slim, relying on losses from the five teams in their remaining two games. In case of ties, the PVL points system will determine the semifinalists, pushing the contenders to pursue sweeps to secure crucial point ratios.
Defending champion Creamline stalled Choco Mucho’s march to the post-elims phase with an emphatic straight-set win last Thursday, keeping the semis race wide open.
Following their impressive shutout victories over semis contenders last Tuesday, Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo aim for another pair of dominant performances against Galeries Tower and Akari, respectively. These wins would edge them closer to claiming semis berths as they head into the final week of the prelims in the season-opening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.
Although the Highrisers and the Chargers are out of the semis race, they go flat-out to end their campaign on a winning mode and play the role of spoilers, making their matches at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, worth watching.
The 6 p.m. clash between PLDT and Cignal, however, promises to be intense, with the High Speed Hitters needing to sweep their last two matches against top rivals to nail a semis slot. However, after their defeat to the streaking Crossovers last Tuesday, the High Speed Hitters face challenges in re-assessing their game plan and determination to advance.
A victory over Cignal would keep PLDT’s semis hopes alive while eliminating the HD Spikers from the semis battle. Conversely, a loss would jeopardize PLDT’s bid for a spot in the next round.
Wins by Chery Tiggo and Petro Gazz would also automatically drop Cignal from semis contention.
Games are aired live on free-to-air on One Sports, in HD on One Sports+, as well as on the PVL’s official website (pvl.ph) and the Pilipinas Live app. Global coverage includes the new free-to-air channel – RPTV.
