Chameleons rise, stun High Speed Hitters to keep QR hopes alive

Nxled kept its qualifying round dreams alive with a stunning four-set victory over PLDT, 21-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-15, in the final day of the preliminary round of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Centre on Thursday.

The Chameleons, riding the momentum of back-to-back wins, improved their record to 5-4 and are now watching Cignal closely, hoping a slip by the Creamline squad opens the door to the qualifying round.

After dropping the first set, Nxled tightened its defense and gradually found its offensive rhythm. A nail-biting second set went in their favor, setting the stage for a commanding performance in the next two frames. The High Speed Hitters, who had won four straight matches coming into the game, were overpowered as Nxled rolled through the third and fourth sets.

In the fourth set, the Chameleons wasted no time establishing control. After taking an early 3-0 lead and holding a narrow 13-11 advantage, they went on a decisive 10-2 run to create a 23-13 cushion, cruising to the finish in a match that lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes.

“I'm really happy about what I saw during the game. I see consistency, I see regularity. I saw a very good development in our side-out. The block and defense are working great,” said Nxled head coach Etorre Guidetti.

“So right now we are finally playing a pretty good volleyball together. So what was about us has done. This is the best that we can do today. Let's see if it's enough. Let's have some very big crossed fingers and see if this is enough to enter the first four,” he added.

Brooke Van Sickle led the charge for Nxled with a complete all-around performance—21 points, 11 excellent receptions, and nine excellent digs. MJ Phillips contributed 16 points, including 11 attacks, three aces, and two kill blocks. Jonah Sabete-Escamillan recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 excellent receptions, while Myla Pablo added 13 points. Jules Tolentino orchestrated the offense with 21 excellent sets and three points, and Bang Pineda chipped in 11 excellent digs.

For PLDT, Savannah Davison top-scored with 18 points and 17 excellent receptions, while Alleiah Malaluan added 13 points and five excellent digs and receptions. Majoy Baron and Kianna Dy were limited to eight points each, and Kath Arado had 19 excellent digs, supported by Kim Fajardo’s 15 excellent sets.

The High Speed Hitters, already assured of a qualifying-round berth, finished the preliminaries with a 7-2 record, securing either the first or second seed depending on the outcome of the Super Spikers versus Cool Smashers matchup.