Chery Tiggo’s Khat Bell against Lena Samoilenko and PLDT High Speed Hitters .-MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Lena Samoilenko and Khat Bell shared a moment after an epic showdown as the Chery Tiggo import’s 40-point explosion went for naught with the Russian spiker dropping 37 to lead PLDT to the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference semifinals.
With Bell powering Chery Tiggo to a 2-1 lead in their knockout quarterfinal match, PLDT turned to Samoilenko and middle blocker Majoy Baron to pull off a come-from-behind 25-23, 25-27, 15-25, 25-18, 15-9, to end a year-long semifinal absence on Tuesday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
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Samoilenko had the last laugh with 32 kills, three blocks, and a pair of aces on top of 15 excellent receptions to overcome Bell’s best PVL outing built on 39 spikes to go with 15 excellent receptions and nine digs.
READ: PVL: Khat Bell goes down fighting, wants to return at Chery Tiggo
Despite their intense showdown, the two PVL imports were seen in a video posted by Chery Tiggo hugging each other in the hallway of the venue and expressing their respect for each other’s game.
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“You were great. Thank you so much. Good luck to you though,” Bell told Samoilenko. The PLDT import returned the compliment to the American spiker.
It was not the first time that the hard-hitting spikers had a thrilling showdown as Bell dropped her first PVL career-high of 39 points in their five-set win over PLDT, led by Samoilenko’s 24 points, in the first round last August 3.
SCHEDULE: 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference semis
Just like their first meeting, Samoilenko’s focus was not on Bell alone.
“My focus was not Khat Bell. My focus is on my team and our game. We showed good volleyball and we won, it doesn’t matter if it’s Khat Bell or another import. That’s all,” said the Russian import.
PLDT High Speed Hitters’ Elena Samoilenko. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
The 6-foot-4 spiker, who missed the semifinals in 2022 amid topping all scorers, is determined to lead PLDT to the final this year, facing unbeaten No.1 Akari on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
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“We won now, we’re happy but we have another game. Next day we need to work. We want to win medals [here],” said Samoilenko, who had more time to prepare after Thursday’s semifinal games were postponed due to power outage at Philsports Arena.
Bell, on the other hand, will fly home to the United States to play professional volleyball but she would love to return to Chery Tiggo next year after enjoying her first stint in Manila in four years.