MANILA, Philippines – By defeating PLDT on Thursday with scores of 25 to 15, 23 to 25, 25 to 14, and 25 to 23, Kurashiki Ablaze eliminated the final team attempting to halt its march to the title. This set up a matchup with Creamline for the Premier Volleyball League Invitational championship at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Japanese needed a fourth set to defeat the High-Speed Hitters, who rallied from a lopsided opening set loss with a valiant stand in the second but whose ferocious rally in the fourth ultimately failed. This was in contrast to their three-set victories over the first two local teams they had faced in the semifinals.

With the help of quick attacks accompanied by Asaka Tamaru’s methodical hitting, the visiting team regained control in the crucial set. They then put an end to the High-Speed Hitters’ comeback attempt to notch the nearly two-hour victory that extended their unbeaten streak in the midseason conference of the league run by Sports Vision.

In doing so, Kurashiki’s 4 to 0 record was matched by Creamline’s, giving them a 6:30 p.m. a preview of the championship in tomorrow’s game

To win the gold medal in a one-game final on Sunday, the Japanese and the Cool Smashers will still fight valiantly, so expect them to put everything they have into it.

Cignal, who was still competing with Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh (Vietnam) as of presstime, ended up with a 2 to 3 slate against PLDT, and they were both attempting to achieve the same result in the race for the bronze.

When it takes on Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh at 4 p.m., F2 Logistics, which also has a 1 to 3 card like Cignal, competes for a chance at third place. last Friday.

Playmaker Kyoka Oshima won the match’s top prize once more with a 19-excellent set performance, although she admitted that their bodies had suffered from the strain of playing difficult games after difficult games.

The 30-point outburst against the High-Speed Hitters, however, was an improvement on Asaka’s prior 29-point performance against Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh, as well as her 16- and 19-point performances against Cignal and F2 Logistics, respectively.

The High-Speed Hitters mounted a comeback that saw them close within 23 to 24 on an Me-an Mendrez hit, proving that the Ablaze genuinely missed her services as she left the field on rotation at the end of the fourth.

When Mich Morente, who was instrumental in PLDT’s comeback from an 11 to 19 deficit with back-to-back hits, decided to go for a quick return after an exchange that the Japanese foiled, Hiraoka hammered a blast in-between Mendrez and Mika Reyes’s outstretched arms to finish off the High-Speed Hitters. The High-Speed Hitters had not properly set up in the previous play.

For the Ablaze, who generated 69 attack points to PLDT’s 57, Saki Tanabe scored 15 points, Hiraoka added 11 points, and Yukino Yano contributed nine points.

In the second set, PLDT recovered thanks in large part to Honey Royse Tubino, who scored 23 points, 15 points from Fiola Ceballos, and nine points each from Morente and Reyes.