Defending champion Creamline looks to continue its perfect run in the 2023 PVL 2nd All-Filipino Conference as it faces Akari at the PhilSports Arena on Thursday.
Aiming to also put themselves on the cusp of sweeping the elimination round, the Cool Smashers take on the Chargers at 4 p.m. in the middle of a triple-header.
The Galeries Tower Highrisers and the Gerflor Defenders figure in a contest of winless teams to start the games at 2 p.m., while the also-ran F2 Logistics Cargo Movers battle the PLDT High Speed Hitters, who are still fighting for a semifinals spot, at 6 p.m.
The sixth seed PLDT (5-4), fifth-ranked Petro Gazz (6-4), and fourth seed Cignal (7-3) are still in contention for the fourth and last semis berth as the elimination round nears to a close.
Creamline stopped Chery Tiggo on its tracks last Tuesday, 25-22, 24-26, 25-20, 25-16, to go 9-0 and solidify its hold of the top spot in the team standings.
The Cool Smashers banked on a balanced attack where three of them scored at least eight points and three breached in double digits including then birthday girl Jema Galanza, who logged an all-around performance of 16 points, 18 excellent digs, and 10 receptions.
As he continues to tinker with his rotations, Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses likes the fact that the player combinations he's been using are working wonders for his team.
"I'm happy because so far all the rotation of players I use is working well. The players I put on the court are playing really well. I'm happy that whoever I field on the court, they're contributing. Sometimes it's [Bernadeth] Pons and sometimes it's Alyssa [Valdez]. I'm happy because it's a team effort for us."
Despite having secured a spot in the semifinals already, Meneses said that there is no let up for the Cool Smashers as they look to bring in a winning momentum heading to the playoffs.
"We're still going to treat our last two games as legitimate games. We're still going to practice and we don't want our morale to take a dip so we're going to play 100 percent against them. Hopefully, I could still use all of my players against Akari."
Already out of semis contention with a 5-5 record, the Chargers are just seeking to bounce back from their tough 18-25, 25-17, 22-25, 30-32 loss to the Petro Gazz Angels last Saturday and end their season on a high note.
