With Creamline reclaiming its familiar position and Choco Mucho, PLDT, Chery Tiggo, Petro Gazz and Cignal all vying strongly for a spot, the race to the semifinals promises to be intense and fiercely contested when preliminary action resumes on 2 April at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
During the six-day Holy Week break, these teams will not only reflect on their spiritual growth but also strategize for the crucial phase of the single-round eliminations.
Despite their frontrunning 6-1 card, the Cool Smashers face a challenging stretch ahead, taking on the Angels on 6 April, followed by a clash with the Nxled Chameleons on 13 April, and a showdown with the title contender Flying Titans on 18 April.
They wrap up their prelims campaign against the High Speed Hitters on 25 April.
With noticeable parity in the league, Creamline no longer holds the same intimidating aura as in its past title runs as the other five teams in contention now possess the talent and resources to compete with the seven-time champions.
The recent defeat to the Crossovers exposed vulnerabilities in their game, signaling that any team can defeat Creamline on any given day.
Cignal nearly matched that Chery Tiggo feat Tuesday night but the HD Spikers squandered a 2-0 set lead and a 14-11 advantage in the deciding fifth set. eventually yielding the match, 14-16.
Choco Mucho, meanwhile, is eager for a rematch with its sister team after falling short in the Second AFC Finals last year. Led by the dynamic Sisi Rondina, the Flying Titans, tied with the High Speed Hitters with 5-1 records, are again poised to contend for the championship.
They have relatively easier matchups against Galeries Tower on 2 April, Capital1 on 6 April and Strong Group on 13 April. After its 18 April face-off with Creamline, Choco Mucho closes out its eliminations campaign against Farm Fresh on 23 April.
PLDT, meanwhile, faces Akari on 2 April and Strong Group on 9 April, before taking on contenders Chery Tiggo, Cignal and Creamline on 16, 20 and 25 April, respectively.
Petro Gazz, tied with Chery Tiggo at 5-2, will also run into tough rivals in Creamline on 6 April and against Cignal on 16 April but hopes to secure key victories over Galeries Tower on 20 April, and against Nxled on 27 April.
The Crossovers, riding a three-game streak, aim to continue their momentum against the HD Spikers on 11 April before squaring off with the High Speed Hitters on 16 April. They play against the Chameleons on 20 April before closing out against the Highrisers on 25 April.
Cignal (4-2), on the other hand, hopes to bounce back against Farm Fresh on 4 April and gain confidence for their 11 April duel with Chery Tiggo, against Petro Gazz on 16 April, and versus PLDT on 20 April. They end their eliminations stint against Galeries on 25 April.
Despite their lower rankings, Akari, Farm Fresh and Galeries Tower, all with 2-4 marks, seek to pull off reversals in the final stretch and fuel their respective backdoor bids in the season-opening conference organized by Sports Vision.
