Creamline’s drive for a second Premier Volleyball League title begins today at the Filoil Ecooil Centre when it takes on a Chery Tiggo team, revved up with a quintet of blue chip recruits.
Three months after their epic triumph in the All-Filipino Conference, the Cool Smashers never stopped with their core. They also suited up for the Philippine Women’s National Volleyball Team for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
Retaining the likes of Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza, Jia De Guzman, and Kyla Atienza, Creamline added to its firepower by adding all-around open hitter Bernadeth Pons.
Multiple-time Most Valuable Player Alyssa Valdez is also set to make her return to the country’s only professional women’s volleyball league that is organized by Sports Vision and backed by BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, Mikasa, SMART, Rebisco, Kumu, Asics, and SportRadar.
She missed the entirety of the All-Filipino Conference due to a knee injury.
“Yung team na healthy all throughout the season that will make a big difference this conference – lahat pantay-pantay na talaga including yung support ng mga teams,” said Valdez.
“The level of the competition will definitely be higher this conference.”
The Cool Smashers’ first big test will be against the Crossovers.
Busy has been the break for Chery Tiggo, signing the University of Santo Tomas trio of Eya Laure and Imee Hernandez and the National U trio of Princess Robles, Jennifer Nierva, and Joyme Cagande to join the likes of Mylene Paat, Buding Duremdes, Ponggay Gaston, and EJ Laure.
First serve of the opening day’s main event is at 6:30 p.m. and will air on PVL.ph, One Sports, and One Sports+ with live streaming on Smart Livestream and Cignal Play.
“We are very excited if you may say so but it really entails a lot of responsibilities to match and manage the expectations of many,” said Chery Tiggo head coach Aaron Velez.
“Overall, this is an opportunity to start developing a younger era of talents for the long term.”
Firing off the festivities in the one-month tourney will be a couple of Group B clashes.
F2 Logistics will welcome Farm Fresh to the league at 1:30 p.m. while Cignal squares off against Petro Gazz at 4:00 p.m.
Coming off a bronze finish the last time out, the Cargo Movers reloaded by adding Jolina Dela Cruz, Mars Alba, and Jovelyn Fernandez.
No pushovers will be the Foxies as they have tapped the core of NCAA champion squad College of Saint Benilde. Additionally, they signed Trisha Tubu, Kate Santiago, Ckyle Tagsip, Pia Ildefonso, and Joan Narit as foundations of the squad.
Meanwhile, the HD Spikers will parade promising rookie Vanie Gandler and returning Jovelyn Gonzaga when they face an intact Angels squad that is coming off a runner-up finish last conference.
