Courtesy: pvl.ph
SUPERIOR on paper and on the court, Creamline isn’t taking Choco Mucho lightly, psyching itself up not only against the Flying Titans but also the crowd support as they slug it out at the start of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
“Everytime we face Choco Mucho, our main concern is the crowd, sobrang dami. But we’re ready,” said coach Sherwin Meneses, whose star-studded Cool Smashers also pack in the fans who produce great impact on each Creamline outing.
Winner of this conference last March and a losing finalist in the PVL Invitational, the Cool Smashers appear to have the edge against the Flying Titans, who placed seventh in both tournaments. But Meneses and his wards have opted to downplay their chances although they guaranteed their readiness to close out the league’s sixth season the way they had opened it.
Gametime is at 7 p.m. in a match tipped to go the distance.
Meanwhile, Gerflor and Nxled kick off hostilities at 3 p.m. while PLDT and Cignal tangle at 5 p.m. in a pair of matches to be aired on PVL.ph, One Sports, One Sports+ and SMART Livestream app.
Meneses and counterpart Dante Alisunurin of Choco Mucho regard the first game as key to their title aspirations.
“Mas iniintindi namin ang first game kasi team check namin yun,” said Meneses. “Yung kalaban kasi, kahit sino naman, lumalaban talaga. Yung first game napaka-importante sa team kasi dito namin makikita kung nag-improve yung skills at yung buong team.”
Alinsunurin admits facing Creamline in an opening match adds more pressure but believes he has built enough rapport with the Flying Titans to be rattled a bit.
“Me konting pressure kasi siempre, defending champion yan. Pero sabi ko nga sa mga players ko, medyo malayo na ang narating namin, basta continue lang kung ano yung mga dapat gawin, adjustment sa laro. Sigurado may malaking chance kami na manalo sa first game,” said Alinsunurin, who took over the coaching chores for the Flying Titans at the onset of the season.
Two things that could swing to Choco Mucho’s favor are Creamline will be without ace playmaker Jia De Guzman, who is now with Denso of the Japan V.League, and the high-flying, energetic Sisi Rondina has fully adjusted to Choco Mucho’s system. pvl.ph
