It’s speed vs power in the finals of the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference when a young but agile Kobe Shinwa University of Japan battles PLDT for the crown on Sunday, Aug. 31, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Match is at 6:30 p.m after Creamline and Chery Tiggo clash for the bronze medal at 4 p.m.

PLDT has been on fire since clinching the PVL On Tour preseason tournament title, sweeping the five-game preliminaries to book the first ticket to the finals.

The visiting collegiate crew, for its part, has been showcasing Japan’s fast-paced style of play, pulling off stunning victories that include four-set wins over multi-titled Creamline and Cignal, and a tough five-set triumph over Chery Tiggo that earned them a slot to the championship round.

Still, PLDT appears to have the edge on paper, having beaten Kobe Shinwa in the preliminaries two weeks ago, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23.

The High Speed Hitters are hoping for a repeat of that performance, with Fil-Canadian Savi Davison expected to be at the forefront of their attack.

Davison’s presence is set to fuel PLDT’s offensive resolve with her consistent showing. Support is not also lacking as rookie sensation Alleiah Malaluan has also been making waves along with veterans Majoy Baron, Mika Reyes and Kim Dy.

Not to be discounted is Dell Palomata, who has been providing depth and strength in their net defense, and libero Kath Arado and setter Kim Fajardo.

“We’ve been prioritizing conditioning more than anything else,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort in Filipino, whose squad has played four matches in six days. “For the last two games, we’ve barely had full practices. On off-days, we just opt for rest and light sweat sessions.”

In contrast, Kobe Shinwa played five consecutive games including two back-to-back matches.

Though parading a youthful lineup, don’t mistake it for lack of experience. The Japanese collegiate crew has been dazzling the crowd with their lightning-quick pace, on-point defensive reads and crisp execution -- a brand of volleyball that proved to be difficult to stop as far as some teams in the league are concerned.

The versatility of setter Sakura Furuta has been fundamental in their campaign as her playmaking skills effectively activate their hard-hitting spikers spearheaded by Nagisa Komatsuda, who erupted for 31 points the last time.

Furuta admitted they lost their game against PLDT due to unforced errors -- an issue they are expected to deal with in this pivotal final stretch of the tournament.

“We believe we still have a chance to win,” said Furuta.

They are also aware of the High Speed Hitters’ rock-solid net defense and hope that they could penetrate the wall with scoring threats Kokoro Yasuma, Arisu Ishikawa and Reira Miyazaki joining forces with Komatsuda.