FOUR teams of equal strength but of varying styles and character clash in a pair of explosive matches so crucial in their respective finals drive as the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference semifinals start today at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
In a short best-of-three series, winning the opener is imperative, thus guaranteeing a virtual slugfest between Cignal HD and Petro Gazz at 3 p.m. and Creamline and Choco Mucho in the 6 p.m. main game.
Though the star-studded Creamline side has racked up three crowns since it debuted in the league in 2017, including the Open in 2019 before the league took a long hiatus due to the pandemic, Choco Mucho is unfazed, convinced it has the materials and desire needed to defang a seasoned team as the Cool Smashers.
Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza, Jeanette Panaga, Celine Domingo and ace setter Jia De Guzman have the experience to take on a rival of any class head-on, but the Flying Titans are hungry for recognition on a team built around the league’s leading scorer Kat Tolentino and a young bunch of aces raring to bring the team to the next level after finishing third in last year’s inaugural pro staging of the Sports Vision-organized league in Ilocos Norte.
They include middle blockers Bea de Leon and Aduke Ogunsanya, outside hitters Isa Molde, Des Cheng and Ponggay Gaston and playmaker Deanna Wong with support to come from the likes of Cherry Nunag, Caitlyn Viray, Regine Arocha and libero Den-den Revilla.
While the main match will feature sister teams that have donned the Ateneo colors in the collegiate league, the Cignal-Petro Gazz face-off will showcase a team that has transformed from a badly-beaten crew to an unbeaten contender and a squad chasing a second PVL championship in four years.
How the HD Spikers will fare in a tougher, gut-wrenching phase will be known today as the Angels test their mettle in a match tipped to go the distance and either way.
