Break represents calm before storm for KO protagonists
With the core of the disbanded defending champion joining the team, very few expected Nxled to be in the position it is in now. And perhaps, the same can be said of Creamline, that dynastic side that made winning the PVL All-Filipino Conference almost a habit.
And yet, here they are.
The two highly-touted squads plunge into the proverbial calm before the storm before returning after the Holy Week break to play in knockout matches that will complete the semifinal cast of the league’s centerpiece crown.
The Chameleons, who souped up their roster by acquiring the core of the disbanded Petro Gazz Angels, led by MVP Brooke Van Sickle, will be taking on Farm Fresh in the first of those two you-or-me matches on April 7 at FilOil Centre, before the Cool Smashers take the same floor to battle dangerous Akari.
The winners will join early qualifiers PLDT and Cignal in the round-robin semifinals.
Creamline will be coming off a title-less season, a rarity for the club that already has 10 titles. Their streak of making at least the semifinals without fail from 2017 is in danger, and the Cool Smashers’ tournament hangs in the balance as teams have somehow learned how to beat them—or perhaps bluntly, they have finally slowed down.
Dramatic escape
The Cool Smashers even completed a Grand Slam two seasons ago, and because of their vise-like grip on the league, finishing second sometimes looked like a failure.
Jia De Guzman has returned to orchestrate the Creamline offense, yet the Cool Smashers have found the going rough at times as the other squads have also beefed up, including this Akari crew that has one of the tallest front-lines in the league.
Akari will enter do-or-die day with confidence after a dramatic five-set escape of Choco Mucho, where Ivy Lacsina dropped a career-high 30 points.
Together with Eli Soyud, Grethcel Soltones, Fifi Sharma and Ced Domingo, the Chargers have shown they can rise collectively under pressure—a trait that makes them especially dangerous in knockout settings.
The Farm Fresh-Nxled showdown, on the other hand, offers an explosive sidebar, the Trisha Tubu-Van Sickle matchup.
Both have been among the league’s most explosive offensive weapons, and while they may neutralize each other, the outcome could hinge on depth and support.
Tubu draws strength from a seasoned core that includes Ces Molina, Royse Tubino, Riri Meneses, Mylene Paat and Ara Galang, while BVS is backed by a well-rounded unit featuring Myla Pablo, MJ Phillips, Jonah Sabete-Escamillan, Chiara Permentilla, Aduke Ogunsanya, EJ Laure and Ranya Musa.
