PLDT silenced Creamline’s late charge when a costly misjudgment by Jia de Guzman gifted the High Speed Hitters match point. The 25-19, 25-27, 25-23, 25-23 win at the Philsports Arena in Pasig late Thursday night, November 5, was their third straight.

The High Speed Hitters added to victories over Capital1 and ZUS Coffee, which snapped a two-game skid. The two-hour, seven-minute thriller also ended Creamline’s four-game winning streak before a highly appreciative crowd.

Creamline’s Late Surge Falls Short

PLDT appeared set to close out the fourth set after middle blocker Dell Palomata unloaded two quick attacks for a 23-19 cushion. Creamline, true to its reputation, mounted another spirited rally.

The Cool Smashers were on the verge of forcing a fifth set after clawing back from 19-23. Bernadette Pons, Pangs Panaga and Tots Carlos combined for a 4-1 assault that put PLDT on pins and needles.

Pons then unleashed a set-tying attempt that sailed through the arms of Mika Reyes and bounced near Creamline’s right sideline. De Guzman tracked the ball before changing her mind, apparently convinced it was headed out.

The ball landed just inside Creamline’s court, leaving the Cool Smashers stunned and PLDT clinching the win. Coach Sherwin Meneses challenged a possible net touch, but video review showed neither Reyes nor Kim Dy had touched the net.

PLDT Extends Winning Run to Three

The win lifted PLDT level with Choco Mucho and Farm Fresh in the standings. Nxled is the league’s lone unbeaten team at 4-0, setting up a fierce scramble for semifinal berths with two weeks left in the single-round elimination phase.

Savi Davison led PLDT with 22 points, 19 excellent receptions and eight excellent digs. Palomata earned Best Player of the Game honors with 13 points on 67-percent attack efficiency.

“It was a collective effort, and we just showed what we’ve been working on in training,” Palomata said in Filipino. The middle blocker blamed unforced errors for the second-set loss and said the team bounced back in the third.

Creamline surrendered 27 points on errors while scoring 18 off PLDT’s miscues, though both teams finished with 60 attack points and seven blocks apiece. The Cool Smashers held a 4-3 edge in service aces.

Pons led the 11-time champions with 14 points, with Bea de Leon adding 11 and Jema Galanza nine. Kim Fajardo ran PLDT’s offense with 17 excellent sets, three shy of de Guzman’s total, while Alleiah Malaluan had 10 points.

For PLDT, the result was another emphatic statement that its resurgence is no fluke. For Creamline, it was a painful reminder of how fine the margins can be.