MANILA, Philippines — PLDT held no grudges against Reinforced semifinal tormentor Akari and stayed focused on the task at hand in the resumption of their 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.

In their first duel since their five-set duel in the import-laden tournament marred with a controversial unsuccessful challenge for a net fault, the High Speed Hitters came out strong with a statement 25-22, 25-16, 25-15 win over Akari on Saturday at Philsports Arena.

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SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024-2025

Five months after losing to Akari in a knockout semis where PLDT was a point away from the finals if not for the hotly-contested call, coach Rald Ricafort made sure that their focus was to start by winning their first game of 2025.

“The advice given to us was to ask how the players were feeling earlier—whether they had extra motivation or not,” he said.

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“We reminded them that whatever extra motivation they had, they should make sure not to lose focus. That’s really where the improvement came from, focusing on the task at hand, which was our game.”

Ricafort and PLDT were more than eager to get back on track, especially losing two straight games to end the year 2024 and before the PVL went on a break.

PLDT High Speed Hitters coach Rald Ricafort. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“It wasn’t all negative, but we saw it as something that helped us improve more because of the level that was required from us. And that’s also what Akari brings, always improving every conference, and it’s contagious because as teams raise their level, you have to keep up,” the coach said.

Majoy Baron, who was part of that heartbreaking loss, said she played without an excess baggage and made sure that they already left everything in the past.

READ: PVL All-Filipino resumption: what happened and what to expect

“I don’t dwell on what happened last year because the team composition is different now. We’re just focused on the task, and we treat each game the same, keeping our emotions level because we really want to stay focused and do our job on the court,” said Baron, who scored 11 points, all from kills out of her 18 attack attempts.

The star middle blocker just enjoyed the moment with Savi Davison providing the firepower to win the game in just an hour and 35 minutes.

“Personally, I just enjoyed it because I was excited since it was the first game of the year. The break was long, so we were more excited and well-prepared,” Baron said. “We’ll focus only on what’s happening in the moment. There shouldn’t be any baggage that won’t help with what’s going on in the present.”

Improving to a 4-2 record to start the year, Ricafort and the High Speed Hitters look to build from the statement win as contender teams await them in their last five elimination round games.

“At least we’re able to prepare with good momentum. That’s the challenge of the conference, managing our schedule, rest, and preparation for the next game. We have enough days, we just need to move on regardless of the result so we can focus right away on the next game,” he said.