The Premier Volleyball League closes out the season with a couple of firsts – the first time it will hold two All-Filipino Conferences in a year and the first opening playdate where it will pit two sister teams against each other.
The upcoming conference which will kick off on Oct. 15 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum will feature a record 12-team cast, surpassing the 11-local squad field that saw action in the last Invitational Conference won by guest team Kurashiki of Japan, which beat Creamline in a thriller of a finale last July.
Creamline, which rallied from a set down and swept Petro Gazz in the next two to nail its fourth All-Filipino championship last March, braces for a spirited duel with Choco Mucho in the 7 p.m. nightcap of an explosive triple-bill.
Foiled in their bid for women’s volley’s version of a grand slam for the second straight year, the Cool Smashers are keen on winning another All-Filipino jewel although they will have to accomplish the mission without one of their anchors.
Ace playmaker Jia de Guzman has recently signed up with Denson Airybees in the V.League in Japan and is out of the Creamline roster for the first time. Kyle Negrito is expected to take over and will have a crack list of go-to hitters in Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza, Alyssa Valdez, Ced Domingo and Michelle Gumabao.
But Choco Mucho will be a tough rival to hurdle with the energetic Sisi Rondina raring to soar again along with Kat Tolentino, Maddie Madayag, Des Cheng, Isa Molde, Bea de Leon and Aduka Ogunsanya.
Nxled, one of the league’s two new teams, hopes to make an immediate impact on its PVL debut as it faces Gerflor, which debuted in the last Invitational Conference. The Nxlex Chameleons will be led by setter Camille Kal and hitters Lycha Ebon, Chiara Permentilla and Jhoana Maraguinot along with middles Camille Victoria and Krich Macasla.
But expect the Gerflor Defenders to likewise go all-out in the 3 p.m. opener with Janine Navarro, Rapril Aguilar, Justine Dorog, Alyssa Bertolano and Angelie Jingco hoping to come out better and stronger from their Invitational experience.
The 5 p.m. clash between PLDT and Cignal also looms to be a toss-up with a crew of veterans spiking the two teams’ respective title campaigns in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Mika Reyes, Mean Mendrez, Julianne Samonte, Erica Santos, Michelle Morente and Rhea Dimaculangan head the High Speed Hitters’ bid although the HD Spikers will not only lean on their seasoned players like Rachel Daquis, Roselyn Doria, Jovelyn Gonzaga and Ces Molina but also on young guns, including Vanie Gandler.
Meanwhile, Chery Tiggo, bannered by Mylene Paat, tangles with Farm Fresh at 3 p.m. on Tuesday with F2 Logistics, featuring Ivy Lacsina and Myla Pablo, colliding with Akari at 5 p.m. and Petro Gazz squaring off with the other league newcomer Galeries at 7 p.m.
Format is a single round robin elims with the top four advancing to the semifinals with the top seeded team and the second-ranked squad taking on the third and fourth-placed squad, respectively, in a best-of-three series. The winners will dispute the championship in a best-of-three playoff.
Games Oct. 15 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
3 p.m. – Gerflor vs Nxled
5 p.m. – PLDT vs Cignal
7 p.m. – Choco Mucho vs Creamline