Chery Tiggo has built a rivalry with Creamline right from the moment it joined the Premier Volleyball League two years ago.

A team with a proud winning tradition during its stint in the defunct Philippine Superliga, the Crossovers' arrival in the PVL created a buzz among volleyball pundits as it gave the Cool Smashers a formidable challenger.

Suddenly Creamline's dynastic rule faced a serious threat.

And Cherry Tiggo in its maiden campaign toppled the mighty Cool Smashers in an action-packed and dramatic come-from-behind finals series win in the 2021 Open Conference to become the first champion in the country's first and only professional women's volleyball league.

Although the Crossovers came up short of making a repeat this season as Creamline re-established its dominance in the first two tournaments of this season, they have already laid the foundation of classic rivalry that fans anticipate to watch.

The Crossovers rekindled the rivalry in this season-ending Reinforced Conference.

In fact, Chery Tiggo once again put a stop to Creamline's domination by spoiling its grand slam attempt in the semifinals.

Although the Cool Smashers won the game in five sets, the Crossovers' two-set wins were enough to knock their rival out of the title race and eventually forged a showdown for bronze.

Chery Tiggo head coach Clarence Esteban remains defiant that they can still pull another upset despite dropping their podium battle series opener, 22-25, 25-22, 5-25, 19-25, last Thursday.

"Of course, we aim to win over Creamline. It hits differently when you get a chance to beat a team-to-beat like Creamline," Esteban said.

Compared to their 2021 team that has the likes of Jaja Santiago and a healthy Dindin Manabat, the Crossovers, who are in a rebuilding stage after unloading seven players after the Invitational Conference, are basically fielding a team still building chemistry.