Games today:
(PhilSports Arena)
4 p.m. — F2 Logistics vs Cignal
(battle for third)
6:30 p.m. — Kurashiki Ablaze vs Creamline (final)
Guest team Kurashiki seeks to become the undisputed ruler of the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference while defending champion Creamline is pulling out all the stops to repel the Japanese invasion today at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Ablaze have been red-hot since their arrival last week, torching all five clubs that came their way in the round-robin semifinals including a four-set dismantling of the Cool Smashers in a preview of the mid-season tournament finale.
Kurashiki can complete an unbeaten title run with another victory in the scheduled 6:30 winner-take-all clash.
Meanwhile, F2 Logistics and Cignal lock horns at 4 p.m. to salvage a podium finish in the battle for bronze.
Ablaze head coach Hideo Suzuki is confident that his wards will win it all having been able to familiarize and test how Creamline moves inside the court.
Kurashiki seemed to have solved the puzzle of how to bring down the Cool Smashers, who hurdled all their first seven games of the tournament before hitting a brick wall on Friday as the Japanese Division III club carved out a 25-20, 25-21, 18-25, 25-14, victory.
“We really want to win on Sunday,” Suzuki said through an interpreter.
“We already know how they (Creamline) play. But they also know how we play. I guess, the hungrier team on Sunday will prevail.”
Most Valuable Player candidate Asaka Tamaru is expected to once again be at the forefront of the Ablaze’s banzai charge displaying the same swarming barrage of powerful spikes that pounded Creamline’s defense in their first meeting.
Tamaru averaged 22.6 points per game during the semis.
But Tamaru is not the only one that the Cool Smashers need to be wary of. Yano Yukino, Saki Tanabe and Akane Hiraoka are also contributing well on offense with skipper and playmaker Kyoka Ohshima activating her attackers from different angles.
Then there’s the Ablaze’s vaunted floor defense led by agile libero Kaoru Takahashi.
But Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses has a deep bag of tricks.
The Cool Smashers mentor sat out his finest middle blocker Ced Domingo on Friday in favor of Filipino-Japanese Risa Sato, who delivered 10 points. The multi-awarded quicker could serve as a surprise weapon to throw Kurashiki off its game plan.
“We were able to observe and learn how they (Kurashiki) attack during this (semis) game,” Sato, who drew praise from Suzuki for her performance, said.
“We’ll bounce back on Sunday. Our mindset is to remain this tournament’s champion.”
However, there are also concerns about the condition of team captain Alyssa Valdez after playing only three sets due to a sore left knee.
The veteran winger, who just came back from a right knee injury she sustained last December during the Reinforced Conference, was pulled out in the third set and was benched in the fourth while having her knee iced.
This means that reigning MVP Tots Carlos needs to get her groove back after a quiet 10 points to carry the Cool Smashers’ scoring load alongside Jema Galanza, Bernadeth Pons, Michele Gumabao and Jeanette Panaga.
Setter Jia Morado-De Guzman’s on-court decisions and libero Kyla Atienza’s defense will also be crucial in Creamline’s title defense.
