MANILA, Philippines --After a busy offseason, the PLDT High Speed Hitters are confident that they will have a successful campaign in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference.

Indeed, their new head coach, George Pascua, further raised expectations for the squad in a meeting with their backers ahead of the competition.

The High Speed Hitters met with PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) president and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio at the company's headquarters in Makati.

Asked by Panlilio about the outlook for the team in the conference, Pascua confidently answered: "Sa potential sir ng players, champion."

Turning to the rest of the group in the boardroom, Panlilio said, "Champion daw, agree?"

Team captain and veteran setter Rhea Dimaculangan was ready with her response, saying: "Trust the process po."

PLDT was one of the busiest clubs in the offseason, adding a whopping 11 new players to their roster, including top free agent middle blocker Mika Reyes, and star libero Kath Arado. They also tapped Pascua to replace longtime mentor Roger Gorayeb, who parted ways with the club ahead of the conference.

Below is PLDT's full line-up for the 2022 PVL Open Conference:

"We are excited to play, to see the arena, and to witness the fruits of our training," said Dimaculangan, one of the holdovers from last year's squad. "We are super grateful for the opportunity to play for PLDT."

"We had our training camp where we really bonded over TikTok, movies, or even when we monitored our tune-up games and other activities," said Arado, the reining PVL Best Libero.

Reyes, for her part, expressed her belief that they have a "great team."

"We're really looking forward to a great season," she added.

In an interview last month, Reyes had touted the potential of the High Speed Hitters, although she acknowledged that they needed to work on their chemistry given the number of new faces in the team.

"Bago rin po 'yung coaching staff, so marami pa po kaming adjustment, and kailangan pa po naming sundan 'yung mga bagong sistema na binibigay po ng coach namin," Reyes said in an appearance on "The Chasedown."

"We're just starting out na mabuo pa lang, magamay pa lang po 'yung isa't isa. So, I can say na we're on the right track," she said at the time.

PLDT opens its campaign on Thursday, against powerhouse Creamline at the Paco Arena in Manila.

"We are thankful for the support given by PLDT, especially the company's leaders. We want to meet the expectations of the company and the fans. Our goal, especially as their coach, is to bag the championship," Pascua stressed.

Panlilio, meanwhile, vowed that the team will have the company's full backing.

"As a huge supporter of sports, it is our dream to have volleyball athletes to represent us in the Olympics. We want to help develop the nation's volleyball scene, starting with our team. We also hope that they are proud to carry PLDT’s name when they hit the court," he said.