Parading the lone pristine record in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference is more of an invitation for other teams to play better.

Defending champion Creamline as usual remains a walking target for other clubs looking to build confidence and morale when action in the season-opening tournament resumes next month.

The five-peat-seeking Cool Smashers ended their successful 2024 with four straight victories as the only remaining unscathed squad.

But winning has seemed to be a bit harder for the decorated and star-studded squad.

“Honestly, I think everything has changed. Most definitely the competitiveness has leveled up and I think that’s one of the changes that have happened,” Creamline skipper Alyssa Valdez said.

In fact, the Cool Smashers’ last match proves that traditional powerhouses are now facing threats from up-and-coming squads.

With just a handful of veterans infused into a one-year-old expansion team, ZUS Coffee gave Creamline a scare.

The Cool Smashers had to rely on their battle-tested composure and resolve to survive a grueling marathon match, 25-22, 28-30, 26-24, 17-25, 15-13.

“Just like what Ate Ly said, the competitiveness of each team is now on a different level,” winger Bernadeth Pons said.

Despite the opposition’s arms race during the offseason, Creamline maintained its hold of the team-to-beat tag.

The Cool Smashers now hope to carry the success of 2024 — a historic grand slam in the previous season — into next year.