DEFENDING champion PLDT kicks off its title-retention drive against dangerous EST Cola of Thailand, multi-titled Creamline tests the mettle of a star-studded Nxled side and Farm Fresh takes on Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam in an explosive triple-header at the start of the Premier Volleyball League Invitational at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Monday.
With six playdates squeezed into just eight days, the tournament is shaping up as a virtual sprint to the championship.
For Minowa, who knows firsthand the demands of playing in Japan’s highly competitive league, the challenge is not simply surviving one match but finding enough energy to be ready for the next.
‘It’s been done before, wherewhere the games were played in quick succession,’ Creamline middle blocker Sachi Minowa (formerly Jaja Santiago) said. ‘So I guess what really matters is how we can recover-in the first game, second game and the ones that follow.’
Minowa scored six points in Creamline’s three-set romp over Galeries Tower at the close of the PVL On Tour in Negros Occidental last week, offering a glimpse of what her imposing presence in the middle could mean for a Cool Smashers side determined to regain the Invitational crown.
Creamline, which settled for third place last year, gets its first major test at 4 p.m. against a souped-up Nxled side still searching for the right combination to make its star power translate into wins.
The Chameleons are loaded with talent, with Brooke Van Sickle, Myla Pablo, MJ Phillips, Jonah Escamilla, Chiara Permentilla, Jovelyn Fernandez, EJ Cariño and Leyann de Guzman joined by new recruits Gel Cayuna and Jackie Acuña.
The PLDT-EST Cola showdown at 1:30 p.m. sets the tone for the day’s action.
Despite a stellar roster led by Savi Davison, Kim Dy and Alleiah Malaluan, with Majoy Baron and Mika Reyes anchoring the middle, the High Speed Hitters know they face an unfamiliar and potentially tricky opponent in the Thai side.
EST Cola’s game is built around speed, tactical creativity and fighting spirit-qualities that can become particularly dangerous against a team still finding its rhythm in a compressed tournament.
Farm Fresh, meanwhile, gets the first crack at Ho Chi Minh at 6:30 p.m., with the Vietnamese side, like EST Cola, entering the Invitational largely untested and eager to spring a surprise.