Saturday Special: Capital1 vs Creamline clash spices up PVL double-header

Games today:

(FilOil EcoOil Centre)

4 p.m. — Creamline vs Capital1

6:30 p.m. — ZUS Coffee vs Farm Fresh

A clash of old guards and rising stars spices up an exciting double-header feature in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference today at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Veteran-laden Creamline shoots for a third straight win when it battles the Bella Belen-led Capital1 in the 4 p.m. curtain-raiser that promises nothing short of explosive.

The Cool Smashers have moved on from a bad start in the season-ending conference as they rediscovered their lethal form, racking up back-to-back wins for a 2-1 win-loss record.

Behind returning playmaker Jia Morado-de Guzman, Creamline fought back from a set down to beat ZUS Coffee, 22-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-18, last Tuesday.

De Guzman and the rest of the Cool Smashers brace for another tough encounter with a young rival raring to make its mark in the league by claiming the scalp of an established powerhouse.

Belen and Solar Spikers head coach Jorge de Brito, in particular, are very familiar with De Guzman, having been together for the past few years with the national team.

“First of all, they’re very competitive. Bella is very competitive. But, it’s not just her. They’ve been showing great team effort in their past games. We can’t let our guards down. Their coaches, yes, but at the same time, Creamline is not about me,” the eight-time league Best Setter said.

“We have a deep bench. We have a bench that is ready to deliver. And then, yeah, let’s hope it goes our way.”

Long-time face of the league and Philippine volleyball Alyssa Valdez is also looking forward for a first-ever showdown against the No. 1 pick in the last Draft.

“I am very excited to go up against Bella, more than her skills, I actually admire her character, personality on and off the court. Her never-say-die spirit, her grit, her discipline. I can’t wait for her to blossom to be someone the youth will look up to,” the Creamline skipper and top star said.

Belen is coming off a career-best 29-point outing to pull Capital1 out of a two-game slide at the expense of Choco Mucho, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-10, last Tuesday for a 2-2 slate tied with Galeries Tower.

All eyes will be on the high-scoring winger as she will not only face volleyball greats De Guzman and Valdez but also former teammate Sheena Toring and ex-National University coach Sherwin Meneses.

“Of course, very excited because I also want to see how our team will perform against a champion team like Creamline. Creamline is a tough team since they already have an established system,” the recently named Miss Volleyball of the Philippine Sportswriters Association said.

“And I’m very excited also to play against my former teammate and former coach.”

But Belen is not alone in the charge as another youngblood in Leila Cruz, Ezra Madrigal, Ysa Jimenez, Pauline Gaston and Shaya Adorador are all ready to step into the plate and deliver.

Meanwhile, sister teams ZUS Coffee and Farm Fresh meet to snatch a second win in the 6:30 p.m. main game.

The Thunderbelles try to get back in the win column and break a 1-3 tie with the Flying Titans.

On the other hand, the Foxies shoot for back-to-back wins after sweeping Galeries Tower, 25-14, 25-15, 25-12, last week to end a two-game skid.