One of the Akari Chargers or the PLDT High Speed Hitters will make their first-ever PVL Finals in the 2024 Reinforced Conference.
The 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference has been a conference of breakthroughs, and for one of Akari and PLDT, the ultimate breakthrough will soon be within reach.
Akari and PLDT meet for the first-time ever in a PVL playoff setting, with the winner moving on to their first-ever PVL Finals appearance.
In a league that has given life to one of the most dominant Philippine sports dynasties ever, a new title challenger is an extreme breath of fresh air, one that can catapult the PVL to even greater heights.
Both the Chargers and the High Speed Hitters will be worthy Finals protagonists, and both will be worthy potential champions too.
[Related: Patience pays off as the Akari Chargers power up to be a legitimate PVL title contender]
Akari will have an incredible amount of history on the line, as a potential Chargers title means victory for all PVL expansion teams.
If Akari pulls this off, the Chargers would have won a PVL championship less than two years since they became an official PVL team.
More importantly, if the Chargers see this title run through, Akari would join Creamline as a professional volleyball team to sweep an entire PVL conference. Anytime you attach yourself in the same sentence as Creamline, it’s a huge deal.
The pressure is on for Akari, but the Chargers core of Oly Okaro, Grethcel Soltones, Ivy Lacsina, Ced Domingo, and Michelle Cobb have been ready from primetime.
Speaking of primetime, PLDT has been a team that has been knocking on primetime for quite some time.
After the High Speed Hitters went all the way to Game 3 of the 2023 1st All-Filipino semifinals, it appeared that the team was close.
But three-straight 5th-place finishes later proved that appearing close does not mean being actually close.
In this year’s Reinforced Conference, PLDT has once again sealed at least a top-4 finish. However, the team is hungry for its first PVL podium, and the High Speed Hitters are determined to stand on top of the podium the first time they make it there.
Elena Samoilenko is the only returning import from 2022, and the Russian powerhouse has been once again of great help to a team that feels the same but looks different.
Mika Reyes, Kath Arado, Fiola Ceballos, among others are still on the team. But that High Speed Hitters have also added crucial pieces like Kim Fajardo and Majoy Baron.
[Related: PVL: Mika Reyes proud of recovery progress, aims higher as PLDT nears title goal in Reinforced Conference]
PLDT has been longing for a breakthrough, and the time to dial up the good stuff might as well be now.
The Chargers take on the High Speed Hitters in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference semifinals on August 31 at 2:30 p.m. live from the Mall of Asia Arena.