4 teams fight for survival

Games today:

(Dasmariñas Arena)

4 p.m. — Farm Fresh vs Capital1

6:30 p.m. — Chery Tiggo vs Galeries Tower

Hard-hitting action takes centerstage as four teams fight for survival in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) On Tour today at the newly-built Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite.

Farm Fresh (No. 3, Pool A) will collide with Capital1 (No. 6, Pool B) at 4 p.m. while Chery Tiggo (No. 3, Pool B) battles Galeries Tower (No. 6, Pool A) at 6:30 p.m. to cap off an action-packed doubleheader that is expected to turn into virtual finals showdowns.

On paper, the Foxies and Crossovers look poised to dominate, but with the Solar Spikers and Highrisers hungry for a breakthrough, the matches are expected to be closer than the standings suggest.

Capital1, despite a winless run in the preliminaries, showed flashes of brilliance, with Sydney Niegos, Rovena Instrella, Rachel Austero and Shola Alvarez all putting in strong performances. They now hope to turn those setbacks into a long-awaited breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Farm Fresh, still stinging from a straight-set loss to Nxled in their last prelims outing, looks to bounce back with confidence under Italian coach Alessandro Lodi. Leading the charge are Trisha Tubu, Jolina Dela Cruz, Rizza Cruz veteran Rachel Ann Daquis, and rookie playmaker Alohi Robins-Hardy.

Chery Tiggo also seeks to regain form after back-to-back losses, including a five-set heartbreaker to ZUS Coffee. But coach Norman Miguel remains confident in his battle-tested roster featuring Cess Robles, Ara Galang, Imee Hernandez, Aby Maraño and Shaya Adorador, alongside dynamic rookies Renee Peñafiel and Jyne Soreño.

Galeries Tower, while struggling through the preliminaries with only one set win in five games to finish sixth in Pool A, is hoping for a fresh start. Frances Ronquillo, Ysa Jimenez and Jewel Encarnacion, with support from promising rookie Jean Asis, could spring a surprise if they finally click as a unit when it counts the most.

The knockout excitement continues Tuesday, with Petro Gazz (No. 4, Pool A) battling Akari (No. 5, Pool B) at 4 p.m., followed by ZUS Coffee (No. 4, Pool B) clashing with Choco Mucho (No. 5, Pool A).

These matches will determine the final four squads to join PLDT, Cignal, Nxled, and Creamline — the top four teams with outright slots — in the Last Eight.