MANILA, Philippines — Two-time league champion PLDT High Speed Hitters are looking to build on their strong start in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference when they face a tough test against the young Capital 1 Solar Spikers on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The game is set at 4 p.m.
The veteran PLDT squad made a statement with a dominant straight-set win over Creamline, while Capital 1 fell short against Nxled Chameleons in their last outing.
The Rald Ricadfort-mentored squad paraded a healthy lineup of gunners Savi Davison, Mika Reyes, Kim Dy, Alleiah Malaluan, setter Kim Fajardo, and five-time Best Libero Kath Arado.
For Ricarfort, winning against the 10-time PVL champions Cool Smashers does not mean anything yet early in the season—but what he wants to see is consistency from his team.
“While we progress on our system, I want to see more maturity and patience from them; that’s the number one. Having that psychological edge is what we teach, and being more consistent in the learning process,” Ricafort told the media.
“We fell short in the Reinforced Conference, but we will use all those lessons on how to strengthen our core,” he added.
Davison will be matching up with PVL Class of 2025 overall draft pick Bella Belen, who has shown consistency in Capital 1’s two previous matches.
Belen churned out a career-high of 26 points in Solar Spikers’ win over ZUS, followed by a 23-point outing in a loss against Nxled.
The former National University stalwart Belen will be backed up by teammates Shaya Adorador and Pauline Gaston.
After their clash, the Akari Chargers (0-1) and ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles (0-2) look to pick up their first win in the tournament.
The Chargers will be relying on the offense of Grethcel Soltones, Ced Domingo, and Fifi Sharma, while ZUS will bank on the veteran help of Jov Gonzaga, Rachel Daquis, and Fiola Ceballos.