It’s easy to get lost in the noise whenever Creamline takes the floor.
After all, they are the league’s standard, backed by a massive following, a winning tradition, and arenas that turn into seas of pink wherever they play.
Alongside fellow semifinalists Cignal and PLDT, they have long defined the Premier Volleyball League landscape: teams that fans instantly recognize, that command attention.
And then there is Farm Fresh.
Only joining the league in 2023, the Foxies have spent much of their brief existence fighting for recognition just as much as results. Now, they find themselves on the brink of history — just one win away from a finals berth in their first-ever semifinal appearance.
But even with everything on the line, Farm Fresh head coach Koji Tsuzurabara knows exactly what awaits his team when they face the Cool Smashers in a virtual knockout clash for the last seat in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
“The 99.8% of the crowd is cheering for Creamline,” he said with a wry smile. “My team gets 0.2%. Maybe 0.1%. So, there is really no advantage.”
For Tsuzurabara, it is not bitterness, though. It is simply reality.
Having previously faced Creamline in the All-Filipino Conference Finals during his stint with Petro Gazz, he has long understood the scale of support that follows the league’s most popular — and most successful — team.
“PLDT, Cignal, Creamline, [all] very famous teams. But Farm Fresh is not as well-known. Not many people know the Farm Fresh team name,” he admitted.
(C) PVL Images
Even his own identity has, at times, been overshadowed by the past. Once widely associated with his tenure at Petro Gazz, Tsuzurabara now finds himself reintroducing both himself and his current squad to a fan base still catching up.
“Before, some people would ask me, ‘Hey, are you the Petro Gazz coach?’ I would say yes, I was the Petro Gazz coach, but not anymore,” he shared.
“Last week, someone told me, ‘Ah, you are the Nxled coach?’ No, I am not the Nxled coach.”
Instead of shying away from the disparity, Tsuzurabara is leaning into it — making a direct appeal to the fans.
“I would like to make an appeal: please support Farm Fresh,” he said, pointing to social media as a bridge to new followers. “If you look at the seats, it is always pink. There is almost nothing orange.”
That contrast will be even more pronounced as the Foxies step into a high-stakes semifinal decider against a team that has made the Final Four its second home. Creamline knows this stage. It thrives in it.
Farm Fresh does not.
Not yet, at least.
“Farm Fresh started only in 2023, so the time is very short,” Tsuzurabara said. “It is very difficult to reach the Top 4 — it’s a very high hurdle. But now, we could be in the Top 4.”
“Creamline is always in the Top 4; they already know this fighting style. But for my team, it is the first time, so nobody really knows us yet.”
That alone is already a statement. But the Japanese mentor believes it can be more than just a breakthrough; it can also be a turning point.
In a match-up where history and crowd support all tilt heavily to one side, the Foxies are choosing to frame the moment differently — not as a disadvantage, but as a challenge.
For a team still carving out its place in the league, that mindset might be all the motivation it needs.
