Traditional powerhouse Creamline remains the consensus title favorite in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference.
Despite a title-less campaign last year, head coaches of rival clubs pointed to the Cool Smashers as the team to beat during the tournament presser held on Wednesday at the Discovery Suites.
Creamline continues to wear a huge target on its chest especially with the return of its veterans and a key addition for the season-ending contest that will unfold on Saturday.
Decorated setter Jia Morado-de Guzman is back after a three-year overseas stint to orchestrate Creamline’s play once again.
“With Jia back in the team, that will make a big difference there,” Capital1 head coach Jorge Souza de Brito said of his former Alas Pilipinas playmaker.
De Guzman took a leave of absence after the Cool Smashers’ runner-up finish in the 2023 Invitationals to play for the Denso Airybees in the Japan V.League. She helped the Airybees capture the 2023-2024 V.Cup before focusing on her role as captain of Alas.
Aside from the comeback of the eight-time Best Setter and four-time Finals Most Valuable Player, Creamline will also see top winger Bernadeth Pons back fresh from a beach volleyball gold medal finish in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Creamline also added another solid floor defender in Jen Nierva as the squad made sure it would have all positions covered.
“It’s still Creamline for me,” Choco Mucho mentor Dante Alinsunurin said.
“Most of their players are back. With that said, the rest of the field will want to beat them even more.”
Cignal tactician Shaq delos Santos said that all teams have beefed up their rosters but Creamline will always be a threat.
“If you look at the lineup of teams, each one made huge changes. I have high respect for all the coaches for their preparations and we’ll see that in this all-Filipino,” Santos said.
PLDT, which won the inaugural pre-season On Tour and Invitational titles last year, also considered Creamline as a major hurdle.
“I’d say we’d have to deal with ourselves first… then Creamline,” he quipped.
Reinforced by the core of last year’s champion Petro Gazz, which took a leave of absence, Nxled Italian coach Ettore Guidetti is excited to face the Cool Smashers and PLDT.
“To be honest, the two teams that I’m pretty curious to face are in that table,” Guidetti said, referring to the table occupied by Creamline and PLDT.
The Cool Smashers, who won 10 championships, charge into the conference with redemption as their battle cry following a dismal 2025 outing.
Creamline lost all of its titles last year after completing a grand slam in 2024.
However, De Guzman has downplayed the Cool Smashers’ tags as favorites.
“We don’t really want to focus on the pressure of getting up there because right now many of our players are just returning, whether from injury or from different tournaments. We’re really just focused on getting back into the system and getting back to the groove,” she said.
“Taking it one game at a time. Wherever our best (takes us) so be it. We’ll accept our fate,” she added.
Creamline opened its campaign against PLDT on 5 February at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.