PLDT High Speed Hitters during a game against the Queensland Pirates in the AVC Champions League.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–By the looks of it, the battleground in the AVC Women’s Champions League could be totally intimidating for an international meet newbie such as the PLDT High Speed Hitters.

On Sunday, Savi Davison found out that it has become much less daunting.

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The Filipino-Canadian outside hitter led the High Speed Hitters in breaking the ice by crushing Australia’s Queensland Pirates, 25-19, 25-12, 25-12, to gain an inside track in the quarterfinals of the meet at the Philsports Arena.

“I don’t think just because it looks different, it’s a different sport. I just kind of go back to basics, standard passing, serving, everything. Do the best of your abilities and things will have a good outcome,” said Davison after topscoring with 14 attack points.

PLDT coach Rald Ricafort, Mika Reyes, Wilma Salas, and Savi Davison after beating Queensland. #AVCChampionsLeague | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/H6KR34yamZ

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The High Speed Hitters didn’t even have to come out with their Sunday best in flattening the three-time Australian Volleyball Super League Champions. The visitors simply self-destructed in an hour and two minutes.

They practically shot themselves in the foot after unloading only 19 attack points, which were precisely half of PLDT’s output. But the most glaring screwup was the Pirates’ 29 errors across three sets compared to the Filipinos’ 15.

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“It can be a surprise the way it looks, how it feels, so I just wanted to make sure we feel very good about how we played today,” said Davison on the team’s international debut.

Leading the charge right at the start of the opening frame, the Pirates dictated the pace and raced to a 6-1 advantage anchored on Holly Mallet before the High Speed Hitters regrouped following a timeout.

Davison went to work with an array of piercing hits while the visiting team fell into a maze of errors that turned the tide in PLDT’s favor.

Kianna Dy built for the High Speed Hitters a six-point cushion and Mallet’s attack that got deflected only made life harder for the Australians.

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Dy assured they secured the set with a lethal strike off a combination play in partnership with Majoy Baron.

Wilma Salas, PLDT’s Cuban import, got shut down twice after a Reyes ace, but that’s the only pair of lapses the High Speed Hitters committed in the second set prior to scooting away with relative ease.

Back-to-back blunders by Lilyana Stanojevic and Kylee White plus Davison’s free ball power tip opened a wide 10-point gap that Queensland was unable to stitch back.

Reyes found a doughnut hole in the Pirate defense twice, the last one a push at set point that bumped PLDT two sets up.

The Pirates seemed to have lost the zest to fight in Set 3, allowing the host squad to plunge them deep into an abysmal 9-1 deficit built on the efforts of Davison and Reyes.

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From there on, the High Speed Hitters continued to fend off any serious attack and went free for all with Salas, Davison, Reyes, Dy and even Dell Palomata taking turns in practically wrapping it up.

“I think I need to be more than just an attacker in this game. It will kind of ease the team because this is an international tournament,” said Davison.

They’ll be in for a bigger threat come Tuesday in closing out their elimination campaign against Nakhon Ratchasima Qmin VC, the current No. 13 team in the world.

Sweeping both their games in their three-team bracket will propel the High Speed Hitters straight to the crossover quarterfinals while a defeat versus the Thais should be coupled with a Queensland setback for PLDT to continue progressing.