Rival coaches may have seen Creamline come up short last year, but no one is buying the idea of a fallen giant.

A season after its Grand Slam campaign ended without a follow-up title, the Cool Smashers remain the team most circled on the calendar — a familiar force whose pedigree, depth, and the lessons learned from last year continue to make them a looming threat heading into the much-anticipated 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.

The impending return of eight-time league Best Setter Jia de Guzman and former league Most Valuable Player Bernadeth Pons — fresh from a historic beach volleyball gold medal run at the Southeast Asian Games — suddenly makes Creamline look whole again, a development rival coaches know could tilt the balance back in favor of the Cool Smashers.

“I think for me, Creamline is still there because some of its players are returning and a lot of us are determined to beat them,” Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin said, pointing to the return of the two high-profile players.

“With Jia back here, it makes a difference for the team,” echoed Capital1 head coach Jorge Souza de Brito.

De Guzman is set to make her much-anticipated return to Creamline after nearly three years away — a stretch that saw her suit up for Japan’s S.V. League with the Denso Airybees, where she captured a V.Cup title, before turning her focus to Alas Pilipinas late last year.

Pons, meanwhile, sat out the PVL On Tour, Invitational, and Reinforced Conference while also fulfilling national team duties.

Aside from them, the Cool Smashers are set to welcome back Jema Galanza, who missed the entire import-laced conference due to a left foot injury, while former Chery Tiggo libero and Alas Pilipinas standout Jennifer Nierva also joins the fold.

With these returns, rival coaches see the 10-time PVL champions as a daunting challenge. Creamline’s reinforced roster and the comeback of its top stars set the stage for a team no contender can afford to underestimate — regardless of past conference results.

Cignal head coach Shaq Delos Santos said he wants his wards to focus on building as a team but admitted the Cool Smashers pose a formidable challenge they cannot take lightly in the all-local tilt.

“We’re excited to face our own team. We need to overcome all kinds of challenges, but to be honest — PLDT, Creamline, Akari, Choco — all of them. If you’ll see the lineups, all of them made big changes,” Delos Santos said.

PLDT chief tactician Rald Ricafort, who guided the High Speed Hitters to back-to-back championships in the PVL On Tour and Invitational, echoed Delos Santos’ call to prioritize team cohesion, but added that, once that’s achieved, all eyes should be on Creamline.

“I agree with Coach Shaq and Coach Sherwin. We need to work on ourselves before worrying about Creamline,” Ricafort said.

When asked which team he was most excited to face, Nxled head coach Etorre Guidetti pointed to the table beside them, occupied by the Cool Smashers and the High Speed Hitters.

“I’m really excited to face everyone. With 10 teams in the league, the level of competition is just so high. But the two teams I’m most curious to go up against are right there at that table,” said the Italian coach.