Games today

(FilOil EcoOil Centre)

4 p.m. — Petro Gazz 

vs Farm Fresh

6:30 p.m. — Chery Tiggo 

vs Capital1

With just five playdates left in the final stretch of the two-round preliminaries of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference, every match now carries do-or-die stakes, especially for teams still battling to secure a quarterfinal berth.

Among them are the Petro Gazz Angels and the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, both desperate to keep their campaigns alive.

The Angels, two-time Reinforced champions, are in a precarious position at No. 7 after an inconsistent showing in the first phase. They aim to regain footing as they take on the surging Farm Fresh Foxies — currently boasting an impressive 4-1 record that has virtually assured them of a Top 8 finish.

Their 4 p.m. showdown at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan promises fireworks, with Petro Gazz going all-out not just to halt Farm Fresh’s run but also to strengthen its own bid for a spot in the knockout quarterfinals of the year-ending tournament.

The excitement continues in the 6:30 p.m. main game, where Chery Tiggo seeks to keep its flickering quarterfinal hopes alive against a revitalized Capital1 Solar Spikers side.

Carrying a dismal 1-4 win-loss card, the Crossovers can’t afford another slip. But with Capital1 on a hot streak — coming off back-to-back straight-set wins over Cignal and Choco Mucho to climb to No. 5 — the task is easier said than done.

Led by Ukrainian import Sasha Bytsenko and energized by locals Bella Belen, Pia Abbu, Leila Cruz and Chel Austero, the Solar Spikers have shed their former cellar-dweller image to become legitimate contenders.

Meanwhile, Chery Tiggo, the 2021 PVL Open Conference titlist, continues to search for rhythm. 

Cuban import Yunieska Batista has delivered steady double-digit outings, but the Crossovers’ locals must rise to the occasion if they hope to derail Capital1’s playoff charge and keep their own bid alive.

As the league tightens up, every result now reshapes the race for the quarterfinals, where the top eight teams will battle in a knockout format: No. 1 vs No. 8, No. 2 vs No. 7, and so on — placing a premium on finishing strong for a potentially lighter matchup in the next round.

For Petro Gazz, another setback could prove costly. 

Imports Lindsey Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle have been performing solidly alongside Myla Pablo, but the Angels’ local support must step up after being outgunned by the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in their previous outing.

Facing a confident Farm Fresh lineup powered by prolific scorer Eli Rousseaux and a solid local core of Trisha Tubu, Ces Molina, Rizza Cruz and Lorene Toring, the Angels must summon every ounce of their championship experience and grit to stay afloat.

With so much at stake and only a handful of prelims games left, every rally, every set and every point now carries greater weight in this tightly contested conference — one that has witnessed the rise of former lesser lights and exposed the vulnerabilities of once-dominant contenders.