Savi Davison leads PLDT past ZUS Coffee in straight sets

PLDT battled through a tough match against ZUS Coffee, overcoming a shaky first set to secure a hard-fought 20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 26-24 victory against the determined Thunderbelles in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday night, March 4, at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. 

Savi Davison spearheaded the High Speed Hitters with a career-high 34 points and 11 excellent receptions, playing a key role in the team’s recovery from a slow start.

She highlighted the need for a mindset shift from the preliminaries to the quarterfinals, stressing that their focus is on maintaining a high level of play as they push toward the championship. 

"I think it was just a mentality shift from preliminaries to quarterfinals. Our coach told the team earlier that it’s a long road from here [from] the championship. So it’s best for our team to set a standard. Hopefully, we move all the way up from here,” Davison said.

The fourth set was a tightly contested battle, with ZUS Coffee determined to force a decider and PLDT pushing to seal the win. After a series of intense rallies, PLDT remained composed in the final moments, with Davison, Erika Santos, and Fiola Ceballos delivering key points to secure the victory.

Santos made an impact with 13 markers, while Kath Arado and Ceballos anchored the defense with 16 and 11 excellent digs, respectively. 

Stepping up in the absence of Angge Alcantara, who was sidelined early in the match, Kim Fajardo registered 15 excellent sets.

For ZUS Coffee, Chai Troncoso led the scoring with 20 points, while Jovelyn Gonzaga contributed 11 points along with 10 excellent digs. Cloanne Mondoñedo also played a crucial role, tallying 18 excellent sets.