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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Volleyball devider Dynasty vs dream run as Creamline, Farm Fresh duel for last finals berth

Dynasty vs dream run as Creamline, Farm Fresh duel for last finals berth

Published Apr 15, 2026 01:51 pm

At A Glance

  • The winner in their highly-anticipated 4 p.m. matchup will earn the right to face Cignal in the best-of-three championship round after the Super Spikers overcame the Cool Smashers two days back, 25-13, 13-25, 25-16, 25-16, to advance to the final round.
Farm Fresh's Trisha Tubu, center, is up to the challenge when they face fancied Creamline. (PVL Images)
Farm Fresh's Trisha Tubu, center, is up to the challenge when they face fancied Creamline. (PVL Images)
It’s dynasty versus dream run as Creamline stakes its championship pedigree against a surging, fearless Farm Fresh squad on Thursday, April 16, for the last finals berth in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Centre in San Juan City.
The winner in their highly-anticipated 4 p.m. matchup will earn the right to face Cignal in the best-of-three championship round after the Super Spikers overcame the Cool Smashers two days back, 25-13, 13-25, 25-16, 25-16, to advance to the final round.
Rediscovering its championship poise is high on Creamline’s agenda as it looks to keep its bid for a record 11th league title alive.
But standing in their way is Farm Fresh, barely three years into the league and in its first Final Four appearance.
The Foxies stand on the brink of a breakthrough after a statement 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23 win over top-seeded PLDT High Speed Hitters last Tuesday, April 14. In that match, leading MVP candidate Trisha Tubu torched the next with her clutch scoring, finishing with 28 points.
Tubu said their trust in each other played a key role in their campaign, which also saw Ces Molina and Royse Tubino taking charge of their offense along with setter Alohi Robins-Hardy.
But Farm Fresh also knows Creamline’s capability to rise to the occasion, even if the Foxies dismantled the Cool Smashers in four sets in their preliminary meeting last month.
Bernadeth Pons, Jema Galanza and Tots Carlos remain Creamline’s offensive threats, along with battle-tested Pangs Panaga, Jia De Guzman and Alyssa Valdez.
The Cool Smashers also carry what many see as an intangible edge -- the crowd. And Farm Fresh coach Koji Tsuzurabara is aware of it.
“The next match is at FilOil, and almost everyone there will be cheering for Creamline,” said Tsuzurabara. “Maybe 99 percent for them, and just a fraction for us. That’s reality – but it’s also a challenge we’re willing to embrace.”
“We’re not as well-known yet. But we hope people start to see what this team can do – and maybe support us, too,” he added.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Cignal faces winless PLDT at 6:30 p.m., with the Super Spikers aiming to carry their streak and confidence into their first All-Filipino title bid, and the High Speed Hitters looking to salvage some measure of pride after falling short of their campaign. 

Related Tags

Creamline Cool Smashers Farm Fresh Foxies Trisha Tubu Alyssa Valdez PVL All Filipino Conference
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