CREAMLINE and Farm Fresh now find themselves taking the longer road after stumbling in the qualifying round of the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
The Cool Smashers dropped their first shot at a semifinals berth against Cignal in five sets, while the Foxies absorbed a similar setback versus PLDT in four, turning what could have been a direct entry into a sudden, high-stakes detour.
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The edge, however, still tilts in their favor as both teams need just one win to join sister teams High Speed Hitters and Super Spikers in the single-round robin semifinals.
Creamline will take on the winner of the Akari vs. Choco Mucho knockout play-in, while Farm Fresh awaits who comes out on top of the Nxled vs. Galeries Tower duel.
Penultimate play-in games
For the rest, the path is far more unforgiving.
Akari and Choco Mucho collide in a do-or-die clash, with the winner earning a shot at Creamline but still needing another victory to complete a sweep and advance.
Nxled and Galeries Tower face the same uphill climb, with the winner advancing to face Farm Fresh and likewise needing back-to-back wins to break through.
Both games are set on Saturday, marking the PVL’s first-ever game day at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
For Creamline and Farm Fresh, it’s about making sure there are no more missteps. For everyone else, it’s about staying alive again.
“Napaka-ganda din for me yung format. I think it's an advantage for us kasi siyempre, ngayon lang kami ulit nakapagsama-sama na maglaro together,” said Creamline captain Alyssa Valdez.
“We're gonna take this as an advantage for all of us na mas maraming games, mas okay para sa team namin kasi mas nabi-build lalo 'yung chemistry namin. Hopefully, 'yun yung maging advantage namin towards the latter part of the conference.”
Farm Fresh, for its part, is bracing for the same pressure-packed scenario.
“Ibibigay pa rin namin ‘yung best namin. Team effort talaga ‘yung kailangan. Du’n masusubukan ‘yung team eh, kapag ganyan ‘yung situation,” said Farm Fresh's Ces Molina.
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