Cool Smashers face early test

Defending champion Creamline faces stiff resistance when it battles new-look Chery Tiggo in the opener of the Premier Volleyball Invitational Conference today at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Set at 6:30 p.m., the Pool A featured encounter between the Cool Smashers and the Crossovers caps a busy opening-day playdate of the mid-season tournament.

Debuting expansion team Farm Fresh tests its mettle against F2 Logistics in the curtain-raiser clash at 1:30 p.m. while Cignal and Petro Gazz duke it out at 4 p.m. in a pair of Pool B meetings.

But the spotlight will be on the Cool Smashers and Crossovers as they clash in an early battle in this tourney that features 11 local teams with two more foreign guest clubs flying in for the semifinals.

Creamline saw little changes in its lineup compared to Chery Tiggo, which made a recruiting coup by tapping five blue-chip collegiate players led by University of Santo Tomas star Eya Laure.

The Cool Smashers, however, added a prolific scorer with superb floor defense in Bernadeth Pons to further strengthen their wing rotation.

The Sherwin Meneses-mentored squad also welcomes the return of skipper Alyssa Valdez after a seven-month absence due to a knee injury she suffered in the Reinforced Conference battle for third last December.

Still, Creamline is aware that the road to back-to-back conference titles and a second straight championship won't be easy.

"Everyone is on equal footing right now. The level of competition will definitely be higher," Valdez, who is expected to make a gradual return to the Cool Smashers' rotation, said.

Creamline will parade the same championship core led by reigning Most Valuable Player Tots Carlos, Ced Domingo, Jema Galanza, Michele Gumabao, libero Kyla Atienza and prized setter Jia Morado-de Guzman.

Chery Tiggo, on the other hand, made a serious move to win another title after capturing the 2021 Open Conference by shoring up its lineup with young guns.

Laure is joined by UST teammate middle blocker Imee Hernandez as well as National University stars Ces Robles, Joyme Cagande and libero Jen Nierva.

The Crossovers are deemed to be the Cool Smashers' biggest threat with their young players joining hands with grizzled veterans led by Mylene Paat, Pauline Gaston, Cza Carandang, EJ Laure, playmaker Alina Bicar and defense specialist Buding Duremdes.

Chery Tiggo, looking to make up for its embarrassing eighth-place finish last year, is ready to make a statement.

"Right from the moment the game schedule was released, we put on a mindset that we have to play this way because we are facing Creamline," Paat said.

"We did face some struggles and challenges along the way but we have to face all that and just be ready to play against the defending champions."