TOUGHER challenges await seven-time champion Creamline as the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) begins its All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday with the pioneering league's biggest field ever.
LOOK:
The Cool Smashers are slated to close out opening weekend of the preliminaries as headliners in a Saturday triple-header against a rejigged Farm Fresh side to open their defense of the championship.
READ: PVL modifies 2024-25 schedule to align with FIVB calendar
After over 40 player transfers in a busy offseason, Creamline skipper Alyssa Valdez believes the competition will only grow tougher from here on out.
"With this new challenge, I think every year, we need a new challenge, new competition. And this is the challenge that I feel like magbibigay ulit sa’tin ng excitement — hindi lang sa mga players but all the fans, all the volleyball community which is very nice," said Valdez.
"I think it’s more for the volleyball community as a whole. Mas magiging mataas ‘yung competition and it’s for the benefit of all teams, knowing that medyo we’re not there yet if we compete against other countries," said incoming Choco Mucho captain Maddie Madayag, whose team will come off a breakthrough Finals stint in last year's season-ending conference.
Grudge matches and debuts aplenty
Among plenty of star-studded matches this conference, the keenly awaited rematch of Rebisco sister teams Creamline and Choco Mucho will take center stage on April 18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum — midway through the penultimate week of prelims play.
This will also mark ex-Flying Titans Bea de Leon and Denden Lazaro-Revilla's first match as Cool Smashers against their former club.
Defunct F2 Logistics mainstays will begin new chapters with their new homes as Aby Maraño and Ara Galang lead a revamped Chery Tiggo side, with Majoy Baron and Kim Fajardo suiting up for PLDT for the first time the following day against Galeries Tower.
League debutants Capital1 Solar Spikers and Strong Group Athletics will both begin their PVL journeys on opening day against perennial Final Four contenders Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo respectively, and will have their own faceoff on March 5 at the PhilSports Arena.
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