ONLY four teams remain in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference, and all four will have to go through the eye of the needle in a single round-robin semifinal.
Ahead of a loaded week of playoff volleyball, sister teams PLDT and Cignal hold a slight edge entering the race to the finals.
READ LIST: These schools have produced the most players in PVL 2026
Both secured early semifinal berths, giving them extra recovery time. But just as important, both bring in winning records for the next round.
That puts them a step ahead on paper, but the gap is not wide.
Creamline, despite an uncharacteristic path, still has the core and experience of a perennial champion while Farm Fresh enters as the lone first-timer with momentum on its side.
With all four teams having already faced each other at least once this conference, familiarity will not be an issue, but execution in a higher-stakes setting will be.
SPIN.ph breaks down how the semifinalists fared in their previous meetings and which players have delivered the numbers that could swing the race to the finals.
1) PLDT (3-1)
|
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
SET SCORES |
DATE |
ROUND |
|
Creamline |
25-22, 25-17, 25-23 |
February 5 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Cignal |
21-25, 19-25, 23-25 |
February 24 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Farm Fresh |
25-17, 23-25, 27-25, 21-25, 15-10 |
March 5 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Farm Fresh |
18-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-22 |
March 26 |
Qualifying round |
PLDT has a winning record against its semifinal opponents, with its only loss coming in straight sets to sister team Cignal.
The High Speed Hitters opened with a straight-sets win over Creamline in the preliminaries where they led nearly the entirety of the match, with Savi Davison finishing with 26 points built on 23 attacks, two blocks and one ace.
Their lone loss came against Cignal late in February, where PLDT trailed in all three sets and was unable to extend the match despite a late push in the third, with Davison pacing that single defeat with 14 points.
PLDT faced Farm Fresh twice and won both. The first meeting in the preliminaries went the distance and was sealed by Davison's 32-piece to carry PLDT through the decider, with Kianna Dy adding 19 points and Majoy Baron pitching in nine more.
In the qualifying round weeks later, they dropped the first set but won the next three, still behind Davison’s 22 points and Dy’s 19 markers, providing the scoring balance in the comeback win.
2) CIGNAL (3-1)
|
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
SET SCORES |
DATE |
ROUND |
|
Farm Fresh |
25-17, 26-24, 20-25, 30-28 |
February 10 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
PLDT |
25-21, 25-19, 25-23 |
February 24 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Creamline |
19-25, 20-25, 25-15, 28-26, 14-16 |
March 21 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Creamline |
25-21, 24-26, 18-25, 25-22, 17-15 |
March 26 |
Qualifying round |
Cignal enters the semifinals with wins over two of the three opposing teams, just like PLDT.
The Super Spikers picked up a four-set win over Farm Fresh in their second prelims match, led by Vanie Gandler's 25 points. Erika Santos added 15 and Rose Doria-Aquino chipped in seven in a balanced scoring effort.
Cignal followed it up by denting PLDT's then-perfect record in straight sets, one it controlled all the way through Santos' 17 points and Gandler's 14.
Their only loss came against Creamline at the tail-end of the prelims in five sets, one that saw Gandler put up a herculean triple-double of 26 points, 19 digs and 15 receptions but still fell short in a tightly-contested decider.
Cignal bounced back when it mattered more in the qualifying round, outlasting Creamline in another five-set battle led by Santos' 26 points and another Gandler triple-double of 22 points, 28 receptions and 15 digs, as Cignal recovered from a 1-2 deficit for an outright semis ticket.
3) CREAMLINE (1-3)
|
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
SET SCORES |
DATE |
ROUND |
|
PLDT |
22-25, 17-25, 23-25 |
February 5 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Farm Fresh |
25-16, 25-22, 18-25, 25-23 |
March 17 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Cignal |
25-19, 25-20, 15-25, 26-28, 16-14 |
March 21 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Cignal |
21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 22-25, 15-17 |
March 26 |
Qualifying round |
It’s a rarity for Creamline, but it enters the semifinals having lost to all three of its upcoming opponents earlier in the conference.
The Cool Smashers opened with a shock straight-sets loss to PLDT despite having its full lineup back. Bernadeth Pons led with a triple-double of 13 points, 11 digs, and 10 receptions in her return from SEA Games glory.
Late in the prelims, Creamline fell to Farm Fresh while missing Pons and Jema Galanza to undisclosed minor fitness setbacks and head coach Sherwin Meneses to illness. Tots Carlos had 18 points and 13 receptions, while Alyssa Valdez added 14 points and 11 digs.
They then split two grueling five-set matches with Cignal.
In the first, Creamline closed out the prelims on a high behind Dij Rodriguez’s triple-double of 19 points, 17 receptions, and 12 digs.
But in the qualifying round rematch, Creamline fell short of its first shot at an outright semis ticket even as Valdez posted 18 points, 20 receptions and 19 digs behind Pons' 20-piece.
4) FARM FRESH (1-3)
|
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
SET SCORES |
DATE |
ROUND |
|
Cignal |
17-25, 24-26, 25-20, 28-30 |
February 10 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
PLDT |
17-25, 25-23, 25-27, 25-21, 10-15 |
March 5 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
Creamline |
25-16, 25-22, 18-25, 25-23 |
March 17 |
Preliminaries |
|
|
PLDT |
25-18, 23-25, 15-25, 22-25 |
March 26 |
Qualifying round |
Farm Fresh has a steep climb as a first-time semifinalist, entering with losses to all but one of its upcoming opponents.
They opened the prelims with a four-set loss to Cignal but showed resistance. Trisha Tubu scored 19 points, Ces Molina had 18 points, 13 receptions, and eight digs, while Royse Tubino added 14 off the bench.
The Foxies also pushed PLDT to five sets before falling short. Riri Meneses led with 17 points, while Tubu and Molina added 16 and 14, respectively.
Farm Fresh broke through against Creamline in Sta. Rosa behind a strong outing from Tubu, who finished with 22 points on 16 attacks, five blocks, and one ace. Tubino backed her with 18 points, 13 receptions, and eight digs in the upset.
They came close to a semifinal berth but lost again to PLDT. Tubu delivered 25 points, while Molina added 14 points and 11 digs, and Tubino chipped in 10 points and 16 receptions, but it was not enough to close it out.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
