In front of more eyes, Creamline and Cignal try to forge PVL title duel

Alyssa Valdez (right) of Creamline, tries to score past Choco Mucho’s Bea de Leon and Kat Tolentino. —PVL

The Premier Volleyball League opened in a venue where it could hold games safely, moved to another one where it could welcome fans back and now is headed for an even bigger one, because fans want more available seats to support their favorite teams.

Alyssa Valdez is excited over the latest transfer—a homecoming, actually.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a game [at Mall of Asia Arena]. The last game was the championship of PVL in 2018. It’s good to be back. I had a lot of memories there in the UAAP and PVL,” said the Creamline star, who scored 17 points in the Cool Smashers’ 25-18, 17-25, 25-19, 25-11 victory over Choco Mucho on Friday at Filoil Flying V Arena.

“It will be an extra inspiration for us heading into the court,” she added.

Whether that inspiration translates into a victory will be known on Sunday, when Creamline tries to close out Choco Mucho in Game 2 of their Open Conference semifinal showdown.

The Cool Smashers and the Flying Titans battle at 3 p.m., after which a revitalized Cignal squad also tries to shut the door on semifinal foe Petro Gazz.

The league’s transfer to Mall of Asia Arena (MOA) came after fans camped outside of the Filoil arena in San Juan for tickets to watch Game 1 of the semifinals and yet, a lot of them failed to make it inside the venue because all available seats were sold out.“[We needed] to accommodate more fans for the playoffs that’s why we’re moving,” said PVL president Ricky Palou.

The expectedly bigger crowd should fire up all four squads as sports slowly returns to normalcy, and Valdez knows that the adrenaline can also pump up the girls on the opposite side of the court—which is why she said her team is not taking any chances.

“For sure, Choco Mucho will not go down without a fight and prepare harder for Game 2.“

The HD Spikers, meanwhile, hope to clean up other areas of concern exposed during their straight-sets victory over the Angels in Game 1.

“We have to start strong and finish strong,” said delos Santos. “We had lapses, but the way we closed out each set (in Game One), that’s what I’ve been looking for in my team.Ces Molina, Rachel Anne Daquis, Ria Meneses, Angeli Araneta and Gel Cayuna will gun for a repeat of their 25-21, 25-23, 25-23 to keep their unbeaten run in the tournament going.

Recovery important

For Creamline, Valdez will draw support from a talented roster that includes Tots Carlos, Celine Domingo, Jema Galanza and playmaker Jia de Guzman. But Cool Smashers coach Sherwin Meneses believes the team needed to do more than just prepare during the one-day break between matches.

“Actually, my concern is for my players to rest and recover,” said Meneses.

Recovery will be vital against a youthful squad like Choco Mucho, which will parade Kat Tolentino, Aduke Ogunsanya, Des Cheng, Ponggay Gaston, Isa Molde, Bea de Leon and Deanna Wong.

Choco Mucho brandished the energy of its young core, but came undone against Creamline’s veteran crew.

“I always believe that our edge is in our experience and we just hope we can use it [again] in Game 2.”

—WITH A REPORT FROM LANCE AGCAOILI INQ