Sister teams Creamline and Choco Mucho set out for a no-holds-barred duel in a day of affection, both seeking a key win to enhance their respective drive in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference back at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today (Tuesday).
But while the Cool Smashers look solid with back-to-back lopsided wins to launch their title-retention drive despite the absence of their skipper, the Flying Titans have a lot of recovering to do coming off a crippling shutout loss to the resurgent Petro Gazz Angels last Thursday.
Gametime is at 6:30 p.m.
Cignal and Akari, meanwhile, collide in the 4 p.m. clash of teams out to come out of the doldrums and revive their hopes in the 9-team single round robin elims of the season-opening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.
The HD Spikers, third placers here last year, dropped a pair of straight-set defeats to the Chery Tiggo Crossovers and the Cool Smashers, so did the Chargers, who succumbed to the Flying Titans and the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers.
The HD Spikers, however, are expected to bank on their experience to check an early skid with coach Shaq delos Santos hopeful to finally draw the best from Ces Molina, Chay Troncoso, Rachel Anne Daquis, Roselyn Doria, Jerrili Malabanan, Riri Meneses and playmaker Gel Cayuna.
Akari, on the other hand, has shown big improvement despite bowing to the Cargo Movers, whom they held in two tight sets before losing steam in the third. New recruit Dindin Manabat is again fancied to lead the Chargers with the seasoned campaigner confident to further inspire the likes of Janine Marciano, Trisha Genesis and Princess Madrigal as they try to break their early spell.
But focus will be on the main tussle with the Cool Smashers going all-out to break off a tie with the Cargo Movers and the Crossovers at 2-0 on a well-balanced team that seems to get better each game day even in the absence of skipper and many-time MVP Alyssa Valdez.
Michele Gumabao topscored with 14 points against the HD Spikers, while Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza matched 13-point outputs and Ced Domingo and Pangs Panaga continued to shine in the middle and finished with nine and seven points, respectively.
Through their early run, and in their past successful campaigns, ace setter Jia de Guzman has kept the Cool Smashers’ offense humming with her stellar play and which she intends to put on display again against the Flying Titans.
But while they are still trying to adjust and fit into new coach Dante Alinsunurin’s system, the Flying Titans remain formidable rivals with their vaunted tall frontline made up of Kat Tolentino, Bea de Leon and Maddie Madayag and a talented crew ready to step up, including Isa Molde, Des Cheng, Caitlin Viray, Cherry Nunag and setter Deanna Wong.
Games are telecast live on One Sports, One Sports+, Cignal Play, and SMART Live Stream and on pvl.ph.
