LIVE: PVL All-Filipino Finals Game 1

Creamline Cool Smashers and Petro Gazz Angels face off in their Finals battle as the All-Filipino Conference championship round unfurls on Tuesday, April 8.
The Angels are in search of their first All-Filipino trophy while the Cool Smashers look to extend their reign in the league with a fifth straight title.

April 8, Tuesday – Smart Araneta Coliseum

4pm – Akari Chargers vs Choco Mucho Flying Titans
6:30pm – Creamline Cool Smashers vs Petro Gazz Angels

Creamline Cool Smashers celebrate a point during the PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals against Choco Mucho Flying Titans. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Alyssa Valdez has been part of Creamline’s dominant history in the PVL.

The Cool Smashers are approaching their 14th championship appearance, and you’d think Valdez would be impervious to Finals pressure by this time.

Think again.

“I feel differently every Finals game,” Valdez told reporters who tailed her late on Thursday evening after Creamline forged a title showdown against the Petro Gazz Angels. “But the jitters, it’s the same. There’s extra nervousness, and I need an extra effort to contain my emotions during Finals.

“That’s one of the things I cannot forget [or] change every [time I play in a] Finals series,” she added.

Brooke Van Sickle is getting ready and excited, and Creamline knows that.

With a few days to cool their heels and map out battle plans, Van Sickle and Petro Gazz embark on a mission starting Tuesday next week to unseat the PVL queens in the Cool Smashers, who know exactly whom to stop to deny the Angels once again in the All-Filipino Conference Finals.

“They’re always in the finals, so I’m gearing up,” Van Sickle, the reigning MVP, had said after making the title series first and asked of their potential foes. “I already kind of been mentally preparing for the rematch, and I know for a fact if we do end up rematching them, they’re going to come out at 120 percent, so we’ve got to be ready.”

Creamline Cool Smashers coach Sherwin Meneses during the PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Creamline and Petro Gazz may have split their matches in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference but coach Sherwin Meneses believes that his Cool Smashers have the edge with their team chemistry and championship experience.

For the fifth time in the PVL, the Cool Smashers and Angels fight for the championship in a best-of-three finals series starting on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In their recent head-to-head, Creamline opened its season with a masterful win over Petro Gazz last year but in the more important duel, the Angels kicked off their semifinals campaign with a four-set win over the defending champions and eventually swept their way to advance to the finals.

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