PLDT coach Rald Ricafort said rest and recovery are the things they are prioritizing going into the Premier Volleyball League Invitational, where they intend to keep their dominance.
“Part ng trabaho, celebrate, pahinga tapos kita-kits sa Thursday. Try muna naming magpahinga,” said Ricafort, now a two-time champion coach, moments after the High Speed Hitters captured their first title in the league as they swept the PVL On Tour.
For multi-titled mentor Sherwin Meneses of Creamline, the Cool Smashers are going into the Invitational with a mission: to regain their champion form after finishing third in the On Tour.
“Malaking tulong sa amin ito kasi, ayun nga medyo, I think maganda iyong laro ng Creamline so, hopefully mag-peak sa Invitational and makasabay din sa mga foreign teams na sasali,” Meneses said of his team defending the Invitational title.
“Iyon iyong target namin talaga lalo ako, makabawi kami sa Invitational, maka-podium again. So, iyong mga talo namin magiging lesson sa [pagdating sa] Invitational,” he added.
Japanese guest team Kurashiki, the 2023 Invitational champions, is back for the third straight year and is expected to seek redemption.
Kobe Shinwa University will make its debut in the league after withdrawing from the 2022 edition due to pandemic-related restrictions in Japan.
The Japanese squads begin their campaign this Saturday.
The Invitational will be a single round-robin elimination with the top two teams advancing to the winner-take-all championship match on Aug. 31 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
