Semifinals-bound PLDT shoots for a favorable seeding in the next round against spoiler Choco Mucho in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference end of elimination round playdate today at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Game time is set at 4 p.m. followed by the Army-Cignal tussle at 6:30 p.m.
The High Speed Hitters got a free bus ride to the best-of-three Final Four after Petro Gazz eliminated Chery Tiggo from contention last Tuesday when the league visited Iloilo City for its first out-of-town game of the season.
PLDT, thus, joined defending champion and top seed Creamline, Petro Gazz and F2 Logistics in the best-of-three semis slated to begin on Saturday.
The High Speed Hitters, who sport a 5-2 win-loss card, can get the No. 3 seeding with a victory over the also-ran Flying Titans.
The Angels hold a 6-2 slate tied with the Cargo Movers but have already locked the No. 2 spot by virtue of superior tiebreak.
A win by PLDT will book the Rald Ricafort-mentored club to a showdown against Petro Gazz — the same squad it defeated in five sets in their elims encounter last 23 February.
If the High Speed Hitters drop the match, they will slide down to No. 4 in a dangerous collision course with the Cool Smashers, who despite missing the services of injured skipper Alyssa Valdez, swept them in their first meeting.
Creamline’s lone defeat in eight elims games came at the hands of F2 Logistics, which is in its first Final Four stint since joining the league last year.
PLDT hopes to ride the momentum of its 25-23, 25-23, 25-14, win over Cignal last Saturday to end the round on a high note.
But it won’t be an easy task as Choco Mucho will be playing with nothing to lose.
The Flying Titans, who are tied with the HD Spikers at 2-5 card, seek to end a three-game slump and wrap up their campaign on a winning note.
Meanwhile, Cignal is favored to grab a closing-day win over the winless Army.
The Lady Troopers have yet to taste a win in the season-opening tournament after seven tries and are on an 18-game losing skid since the end of eliminations of last year’s Invitational Conference.