Vanie Gandler and the HD Spikers have been praying long and hard to end their PVL championship drought.
But they also know that when you pray for the rain, you have to deal with the mud too.
‘Our focus isn’t just making it to the finals. We pray for a championship,’ said Gandler, among the aces of the Manny V. Pangilinan-owned club which battles championship-tested Creamline today in Game 1 of the best-of-three PVL All-Filipino Conference finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
‘But that comes with challenges, and we have to play like champions,’ the Alas Pilipinas star added.
Game time is 5:30 p.m. This is Cignal’s third trip to the finals since joining the league five years ago. The HD Spikers made it in the 2022 Reinforced Conference and the 2024 Invitational but fell short both times.
Gandler and her teammates don’t want this chance to slip away again.
‘It means the world to me because I see the qualities of a champion in each one of my teammates. They’ve made me a better player and person,’ she said.
Standing in their way is a Creamline squad that knows exactly how to win. The Cool Smashers are in the finals for the 15th time and hold a league-record 10 championships. An 11th could be next.
‘Our goal is to really win the championship in this conference,’ said Creamline’s Bernadeth Pons.
Meanwhile, Farm Fresh and PLDT clash for third place at 3 p.m.
Game 2 is on Thursday, with a do-or-die Game 3, if necessary, set for April 28. All games are at the Big Dome.