PLDT’s Kiesha Bedonia during a PVL preseason game against Farm Fresh.–PVL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Entrusted to play a bigger role, Kiesha Bedonia delivered for depleted PLDT on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Bedonia shone as a starter with 14 points, including two aces that set the pace for their third-set comeback to kick off PLDT’s PVL on Tour stint with a 25-18, 25-21, 28-26 win over Farm Fresh at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
READ: PVL: Kiesha Bedonia starts, boosts PLDT past Farm Fresh
Kiesha Bedonia embraces a bigger role for PLDT.#PVLonTour #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/VBUMG39Y8i
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) July 1, 2025
“It’s really tough, especially mentally. Every night, especially these past few days, I’ve been studying the opponent’s plays. It’s hard because the next day, you need to prepare yourself for what you need to do inside the court,” said Bedonia in Filipino after their first win in Pool A.
PLDT is missing Savi Davison, who is in Canada for vacation and won’t be back until mid-July. Also not around are Dell Palomata and first-round pick Alleiah Malaluan, who are with Alas Pilipinas in the VTV Cup in Vietnam.
The team also lost hitters Fiola Ceballos and Erika Santos, who joined ZUS Coffee and Cignal, respectively.
That’s why Bedonia doubled her effort to fill in the void and step up for the High Speed Hitters.
READ: PVL: ‘Star of the Night’ Alleiah Malaluan looks to shine at PLDT
“It’s a really big thing because it helps boost our confidence, especially for those of us who usually come off the bench. It also gave us a chance to show what we can do for the team,” she said.
PLDT coach Rald Ricafort, who wasn’t surprised by how Bedonia performed, was thrilled to jumpstart their preseason campaign ahead of bigger challenges.
“It’s always a big boost to get a win at the start of the conference. But the real challenge will come when we face tougher teams like Choco Mucho and Petro Gazz. We’ll just keep working and see how far we can go,” he said.
PLDT will be in Ilagan City to face Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho, teams with similar 1-1 slates, on July 12 and 13, respectively.
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