REIGNING PVL Invitational Conference champion Creamline punched its ticket to the knockout title match on Sunday in a bid to win a seventh league crown.
But who will catch the last bus to the finals, and which two teams will battle it out for the bronze?
READ: Creamline punches ticket to PVL Finals after romp over Kinh Bac Bac Ninh
Foreign guest teams Kurashiki Ablaze from Japan and Kinh Bac Bac Ninh from Vietnam are set to play back-to-back games in the last two days of the semifinals.
Meanwhile, the last three local squads in PLDT, Cignal, and F2 Logistics are all down to their final semis matchups against either the Japanese or Vietnamese guests.
With only two match days left before the conference finale, the stakes could not be any higher than it is now in a five-horse race.
See how each of the remaining contenders can reach the final phase of the compact midseason showcase.
Race to the finals: Kurashiki (3-0), PLDT (2-2)
Among the five semifinalists still in contention, Kurashiki is in pole position for the last seat in the championship match with the Cool Smashers.
The Japan V.League Division 3 side need only one more win against either PLDT on Friday or Creamline on Saturday to reach the gold-medal game.
Only two successive losses can jeopardize Kurashiki's path to the finals - and bring the possibility of a statistical tiebreak against PLDT.
Meanwhile, PLDT is the only local team left that can still qualify for the finals.
This means that the High Speed Hitters’ last semis match against closest contender Kurashiki will serve as PLDT’s do-or-die game in the PVL title race.
Defeat for PLDT on Thursday will drop it to 2-3 (win-loss), leaving their bronze medal hopes in jeopardy depending on how the three remaining teams wrap up their semis stints.
But if PLDT deals Kurashiki its first PVL loss on Thursday, then they will temporarily save themselves from elimination ahead of the final day of semis action on Friday.
Fight for the bronze: Cignal (1-3), F2 (1-3), Kinh Bac Bac Ninh (0-3)
Going to the last two days of the semis, Cignal, F2 Logistics, and Kinh Bac Bac Ninh are already out of the title hunt.
And if PLDT loses to Kurashiki on Thursday, this heated three-way race for spots in the bronze-medal game will expand to four.
With no definite path to the battle for third just yet, the three also-ran sides must win their final assignments to reach the ideal 2-3 record.
From there, a statistical race will determine which two teams will vie for a podium finish in the midseason tilt.
For their remaining games, Kinh Bac Bac Ninh will play Cignal on Thursday and F2 on Friday.
Depending on PLDT’s result against Kurashiki, either F2 or the winner of the Cignal-Kinh Bac Bac Ninh match will be in the running for either an outright bronze medal game ticket or a multiple-team statistical tiebreak to reach the battle for third.
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