PVL A healthy, full strength roster makes Creamline more dangerous in the PVL All-Filipino Conference. PVL photo

Tight battle in PVL

January 30, 2025 Theodore P. Jurado 86 views

DEFENDING champion Creamline stakes its unbeaten streak as it plays Nxled, while Cignal and PLDT gear up for an intense and fierce battle to remain at the upper half of the standings in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference preliminaries at the Philsports Arena today.

The only unbeaten club in the league at 5-0, the Cool Smashers looks to extend their perfect streak to six as they take on the last-place Chameleons in the 4 p.m. opener.

Coach Sherwin Meneses is not taking Nxled, mired on a seven-match losing skid, lightly as Creamline seeks to maintain its pristine record.

“Of course, this win (against Capital1) is a big help, especially for our next game. Especially now that our key players are back and healthy, 100 percent, that’s really our number one goal this year—to have them return by the start of the elimination round so that by the end or middle of it, their performance will really improve,” said Meneses.

Currently holding a 5-1 record, the HD Spikers face a tough challenge from the High Speed Hitters eager to rebound from a tough loss in the previous match at 6:30 p.m.

PLDT bowed to Choco Mucho, 25-21, 22- 25, 18-25, 18-25, last week and is eyeing to improve its 4-3 record to stay at the Top 6 of the standings.

Despite the abrupt departure former captain Ces Molina and top middle blocker Riri Meneses, Cignal managed to sweep Galeries Tower, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19, last week.

However, the HD Spikers’ shallow reserves will be severely tested against the stacked High Speed Hitters.

“The good thing about the team is that even though I returned to training a bit late, while monitoring them through video on Zoom, their performance didn’t change. Actually, they seem to enjoy it even more. They are really committed to fulfilling their obligations and goals,” said Cignal coach Shaq delos Santos.

Vanie Gandler and Ishie Lalongisip are the HD Spikers’ main offensive options, with Jackie Acuña and Rose Doria-Aquino trying to fill the huge gaps in the middle.

The High Speed Hitters, on the other hand, aim to capitalize on their personnel advantage behind Savi Davison, who had an explosive 27-point outing against the Flying Titans.

However, PLDT’s lack of offensive support especially when Davison is tightly guarded remains a concern for coach Rald Ricafort.

Fortunately for the High Speed Hitters, they have reliable net defenders in Dell Palomata and Majoy Baron.

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