Creamline, five others begin PVL title quest on June 27
Published Jun 14, 2023 06:24 am
Six teams headed by defending champion Creamline open their title campaigns on June 27 when the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference fires off at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.
The Cool Smashers take on the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the 6:30 p.m. main game with high hopes of extending their reign after also winning the All-Filipino crown in March. The newcomer Farm Fresh and F2 Logistics raise the curtain in their 1:30 p.m. tussle, followed by Cignal and Petro Gazz at 4 p.m. A total of 11 squads are competing in the conference with teams split into two brackets. Pool A is composed of Akari, Chery Tiggo, Creamline, Gerflor and PLDT, while Pool B has Choco Mucho, Cignal, F2 Logistics, Farm Fresh, Foton and Petro Gazz. Preliminary matches will be held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Arena. The semifinals and classification phase will start on July 20 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, with the championship series expected to commence on July 30 at the same venue. Aside from the 11 squads, two foreign teams are also expected to join after preliminaries similar to last year’s format where KingWhale Taipei from Chinese Taipei fought and finished with the silver medal. Creamline remains the heavy favorite to win the title anew, with fans expecting star player Alyssa Valdez to return into action after being sidelined with a knee injury the past months. Valdez, who underwent a procedure in February, played in limited minutes in the 32ndSoutheast Asian Games in Cambodia last month.
*The Creamline Cool Smashers open their title-retention campaign in the PVL Invitational Conference on June 27. (File Photo/PVL Images)
*The Cool Smashers take on the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the 6:30 p.m. main game with high hopes of extending their reign after also winning the All-Filipino crown in March. The newcomer Farm Fresh and F2 Logistics raise the curtain in their 1:30 p.m. tussle, followed by Cignal and Petro Gazz at 4 p.m. A total of 11 squads are competing in the conference with teams split into two brackets. Pool A is composed of Akari, Chery Tiggo, Creamline, Gerflor and PLDT, while Pool B has Choco Mucho, Cignal, F2 Logistics, Farm Fresh, Foton and Petro Gazz. Preliminary matches will be held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Arena. The semifinals and classification phase will start on July 20 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, with the championship series expected to commence on July 30 at the same venue. Aside from the 11 squads, two foreign teams are also expected to join after preliminaries similar to last year’s format where KingWhale Taipei from Chinese Taipei fought and finished with the silver medal. Creamline remains the heavy favorite to win the title anew, with fans expecting star player Alyssa Valdez to return into action after being sidelined with a knee injury the past months. Valdez, who underwent a procedure in February, played in limited minutes in the 32ndSoutheast Asian Games in Cambodia last month.