PLDT outlasts Creamline to book first-ever finals appearance in PVL On Tour

PLDT is heading to the championship stage for the first time ever. 

Savi Davison rained down attacks on Creamline in the deciding set to steer PLDT to a 27-25, 22-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-10 win in the 2025 PVL On Tour knockout semifinals on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Filipina-Canadian outside spiker poured eight points in the fifth frame as the High Speed Hitters turned back the multi-titled Cool Smashers, booking their spot in the championship round against Chery Tiggo. 

The win also allowed PLDT to extend its unbeaten run to seven games after going undefeated in group stage with a 5-0 card and sweeping ZUS Coffee in the quarterfinals. 

Davison, who missed the group stage action after staying in Canada for a while, starred in the final frame, which she opened with back-to-back kills from the left wing before another kill from her sent PLDT to a momentum-setting 3-1 start. 

But Creamline showed poise behind the clutch shots from veteran spiker Jema Galanza, who converted three points to fuel a 4-2 rampage and help Creamline pull within one point, 9-10. 

But the Cool Smashers couldn’t halt Davison as the high-flying spiker unleashed three consecutive attacks, including a sharp cut shot that gave PLDT a 13-9 lead. They then clinched the match point off a costly attack error from Alyssa Valdez for a 14-9 advantage. 

Michele Gumabao saved one point for Creamline on an opposite kill, but Davison put the punctuation by avoiding the two-woman block of Sheena Toring and Gumabao to steer PLDT to its first-ever finals appearance. 

PLDT came close to a finals stint in 2024 when it tangled with Akari in the semifinals of  the Reinforced Conference. But controversy marred the match following a non-call late in the fifth set, which eventually allowed the Chargers to take the victory and march to the finals against Creamline.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News