THERE won’t be any more tiebreakers in play to decide who joins Cignal in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference finals.
The semifinal picture has simplified itself, as Creamline and Farm Fresh, both sitting at 1-1 in the single round-robin semis, will settle it all in one match on Thursday at the Playtime Filoil Centre, with the winner advancing to the best-of-three championship series.
READ: Farm Fresh stuns PLDT to strengthen bid for first PVL finals run
The Super Spikers, at 2-0, have already punched their ticket to the finals and will wrap up their semis campaign in a non-bearing match against sister team PLDT, which at 0-2, has been relegated to the battle for third.
That leaves the spotlight squarely on the Cool Smashers and the Foxies, where every other metric is rendered irrelevant, as one win, regardless of how many sets it takes, will be enough to advance.
But if there is one previous indicator worth revisiting, it is Farm Fresh’s four-set win over Creamline in the preliminaries in Sta. Rosa, albeit the latter was without head coach Sherwin Meneses and the MVP duo of Jema Galanza and Bernadeth Pons due to their respective health-related setbacks at the time.
History either way
For the Cool Smashers, the stakes are familiar but still massive, as they go for a record 15th finals appearance, with an 11th title in sight.
It's unfamiliar territory for the Foxies, as they look to turn their first-ever semifinal stint into a breakthrough finals berth, a leap that once seemed unlikely for a franchise that only entered the league in 2023.
While Creamline remained silent following its four-set loss to Cignal, the mood on the Farm Fresh side was far more upbeat, anchored on the opportunity to make history.
Veteran winger Ces Molina, who has been through deep playoff runs before, said there is a different kind of motivation playing for a young team that is still discovering its ceiling.
“‘Yung experience namin nu’ng first game [sa semis], mabigat kasi ‘yun eh. Ayaw na namin maulit ‘yun, ayaw namin na maranasan ulit ‘yun,” she said.
“This time na may opportunity, bakit ‘di pa namin ibibigay yung best namin? Wala namang mawawala sa’min.”
Trisha Tubu also shared that same nothing-to-lose stance, with the belief that their status as semifinal newcomers gives them the freedom to push harder and aim higher.
“First time namin dito at walang mawawala sa’min. Nakapasok kami ng Final Four, at kung ibibigay sa’min ‘yung mga susunod na games, talagang pagtatrabahuan pa namin,” she said.
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.
