PLDT’s next big test: Turning a championship streak into a legacy

For the PLDT High Speed Hitters, the climb has always been steep. But this season, it’s different—not because the mountain got higher, but because they’re now the ones standing at the top, trying to stay there.

After years of being a middle-of-the-pack squad in the Premier Volleyball League, PLDT suddenly finds itself in unfamiliar air: defending back-to-back champions, the new barometer of success in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.

The once-hungry underdogs are now the hunted.

For a franchise that didn’t even know what a Finals looked like until two months ago, the shift in expectation is seismic. What was once a dream has become a standard, and what was once pressure is now purpose.

Winning a third straight title isn’t officially a grand slam—at least not yet—but for PLDT, it represents something equally meaningful: proof that their rise wasn’t an accident. 

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You are starting to teach us to believe that you will always show up whenever we need you. Maraming salamat for taking time out of your busy day to have fun with us, Team PLDT! To more celebrations with you on and off the court! pic.twitter.com/CuCXiiQuxR

— PLDT High Speed Hitters (@speedhitters) October 6, 2025

And if you ask Mika Reyes, the newly crowned Preseason Finals MVP, it’s possible. Very possible.

“Kaya siyang gawin talaga [three-peat] pero yung effort and dedication ng bawat isa sa team, yun yung kailangan namin makuha,” Reyes said.

“Team game pa rin naman talaga at hindi lang pwedeng isa or dalawa yung mag-work kaya extra focus talaga yung hihilingin namin sa bawat isa.” 

That focus will be tested immediately. After barely catching their breath from two whirlwind title runs in August, PLDT is already back in grind mode—preparing for an import-laden conference that promises no easy nights.

“Of course, nag-sink in na pero ngayon kasi, ang bilis lang ulit eh,” Reyes shared. “After a few weeks, nagpa-practice ulit kami for Reinforced and then hinintay namin yung pagdating ni Nastia [Bavykina]. Nagdo-double time rin talaga kami kasi marami pa kami kailangan i-work on especially inside the court.”

The challenge isn’t just physical—it’s mental. Other teams have had time to reload, rest, and bring in international firepower. PLDT, on the other hand, is balancing recovery and reinvention on the fly.

Still, Reyes believes the true test of champions isn’t how they win when everything’s aligned—it’s how they keep the fire burning when the body and mind are tired.

“Kailangan ko pa rin i-doble yung effort especially now na marami na rin bumalik na players from other teams na talagang makakadagdag ng help sa kanila,” she admitted. “Dagdag challenge talaga for everybody, especially sa aming middle blockers, na may mga kalaban ng foreign players.”

For Reyes, this conference isn’t just about chasing another trophy. It’s about finishing the year standing tall—unbroken, uninjured, and unbowed.

“Gusto ko lang matapos itong year na may magandang position,” she said. “Lahat ng teams ngayon, gusto talaga mag-champion pero gusto ko lang din talaga na walang magkakaroon ng any injuries, major injuries sa amin and maging maganda yung result ng conference for us.”

The High Speed Hitters have already rewritten their story once. Now, they’re chasing something bigger—proof that lightning can strike three times.

And if it does, it won’t just be a streak. It’ll be a statement.

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