Gametime is at 4 p.m. with PLDT coming off back-to-back victories over F2 Logistics and Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh of Vietnam for a 2-2 card.
“Like F2 Logistics, PLDT is a tall team. But we will do our best, particularly in receiving,” said Kurashiki coach Hideo Suzuki, after leading the team past the Cargo Movers, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20, last Tuesday for a 3-0 slate.
Creamline snatched the first finals seat with a hard-fought 25-23, 25-23, 25-17 win over Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh, which remained winless in three games.
Having witnessed how the High Speed Hitters play, Akane Hiraoka, who took the game’s top honors with a nine-point effort against F2 Logistics, had this to say about their upcoming foes: “PLDT has tall players, we have to focus on defense and receive and we shouldn’t be discouraged.”
PLDT coach Rald Ricafort and the High Speed Hitters, on the other hand, said they aren’t actually after the result but the chance to play an efficient team like Kurashiki.
“We’re happy to have built momentum (after beating Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh). We prepared against the Japanese and I think we’re in the right place in terms of performing at our peak,” said Ricafort.
“But it’s more of a challenge to play a Japanese team. We don’t have control over what happens in the finals, so we’ll focus on the opportunity to play a strong, quick team like Kurashiki and gain experience. We’ll give it our best shot and we’ll see where we’ll go from there,” he added. (JNP)