By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Games Monday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
11 a.m. – Farm Fresh vs Akari
1:30 p.m. – Creamline vs Petro Gazz
4 p.m. – ZUS Coffee vs Capital1
6:30 p.m. – PLDT vs Cignal
Action heats up in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference when eight teams led by top seed Farm Fresh battle for semifinal berths at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 24.
The Foxies aim to surpass their franchise-best showing as they take on the No. 8 Akari Chargers at 11 a.m., setting the stage for a high-energy, jampacked playdate.
Defending champion and fourth seed Creamline tries to keep its title campaign alive in its 1:30 p.m. tussle with No. 5 Petro Gazz, while No. 2 ZUS Coffee clashes with dangerous No. 7 Capital1 at 4 p.m.
Closing out the day is the 6:30 p.m. matchup featuring fancied contenders No. 3 PLDT and No. 6 Cignal.
Finishing the preliminaries with a superior tiebreak over ZUS Coffee after posting identical 7-1 cards at the helm has definitely boosted the morale of Farm Fresh.
But they know they still have a long way to go, beginning with the goal of improving on their franchise-best fifth-place finish in last year’s Invitational Conference before chasing loftier ambitions.
Helene Rousseaux has been helping the Foxies in slowly achieving that goal after delivering consistent numbers offensively, including a 20-point showing in their three-set victory over Chery Tiggo that ended their prelims campaign on a high note.
Her chemistry with the squad has been evident, as she is expected to join hands with Trisha Tubu, Ces Molina and Alohi Robins-Hardy to deliver the goods against Akari’s own arsenal in hard-hitting Annie Mitchem, Eli Soyud, Fifi Sharma and Ced Domingo.
Like Farm Fresh, ZUS Coffee also seeks to eclipse its franchise-best feat of a sixth-place finish at the 2024-25 Invitational, banking heavily on the dynamic troika of Anna DeBeer, AC Miner and Chinnie Arroyo.
But the Solar Spikers have shown promise, especially with high-scoring Oleksandra Bytsenko fueling the crew along with promising rookie Bella Belen.
Belen, the No. 1 pick, is hoping to extend her success to the pro league after leading National University to back-to-back championships in the UAAP in a performance that earned for herself a third MVP award in a stellar collegiate career.
Not to be outdone is Creamline, which remained solid despite settling outside the Top 3 at the end of the prelims.
Coco Schwan spearheads the Cool Smashers along with local veterans Tots Carlos, Alyssa Valdez, Michele Gumabao and Pangs Panaga.
Petro Gazz, however, is up for the challenge as the deadly trio of Brooke Van Sickle, Lindsey Vander Weide and MJ Phillips banner the squad after combining for 72 points in their four-set win over PLDT the last time.
