All the talk may have centered on Creamline’s return to the Finals of the Premier Volleyball League after missing out in the past three tournaments—but the Cool Smashers are far from satisfied.
They are determined to reclaim their rightful place—the throne they have sat on 10 times before.
This was emphasized by Creamline do-it-all superstar Bernadeth Pons after their 25-23, 14-25, 25-23, 25-19 victory over Farm Fresh on Thursday in a virtual do-or-die match for the last Finals berth in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
“Unang-una, sobrang masaya. Kasi hindi rin talaga naging madali yung journey namin na makabalik sa finals ngayong conference. So, sobrang happy, pero yun, hindi pa tapos yung laban,” said Pons.
“Kailangan namin ulit na maghanda, magtrabaho pa para makuha namin yung goal this conference,” she continued.
The Cool Smashers had to go through the wringer just to set up a best-of-three Finals showdown against Cignal, which begins Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Creamline previously fell to Cignal in the qualifying round, 21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 22-25, 15-17—a loss that sent them to the play-in stage with their backs against the wall.
(C) PVL Images
From there, the Cool Smashers survived the Akari Chargers, 25-23, 25-20, 16-25, 25-16, to advance to the semifinals.
After a five-set win over PLDT and a four-set loss to Cignal in the round-robin semifinals, Creamline once again found itself in a do-or-die situation—this time against Farm Fresh.
“Siyempre, masaya kasi yung experience kada laro ng do-or-die games, di naman lahat napupunta sa lahat ng team, so talagang in-e-embrace lang namin yung pressure. Blessed din kami kasi nakuha namin,” said head coach Sherwin Meneses.
“Pero sabi nga ni Pons, yung goal talaga is mag-champion, so ito na, tatrabahuin namin nang mabuti para maibigay namin yung 100 percent namin sa finals, so masaya kami kasi lahat ng do-or-die sa amin ay naipanalo namin as of now.”
A four-time champion with Creamline, Pons—who endured the team’s absence from the Finals over the last three conferences—simply wants to savor this return to the grand stage.
Game 2 of the Finals is set for next Thursday, while Game 3, if necessary, will be played on April 28. Both games will also be held at the Big Dome.
“Sobrang special ng conference ngayon. Kasi elimination pa lang, talagang pahirapan talaga. Every team na kalaban namin, nahirapan talaga kami. So, hindi madali yung conference ngayon,” said Pons.
“Gusto din talaga naming magbunga lahat ng paghihirap namin simula noong January na nag-start kami ng training. And ngayon, makabalik kami sa finals, yun yung trabahuhin pa namin ulit para makuha namin yung goal namin.”
