{"id":2609,"date":"2025-04-19T04:31:46","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T04:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/?p=2609"},"modified":"2025-04-19T04:31:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T04:31:46","slug":"creamline-pldt-open-up-curtains-in-avc-womens-champions-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/19\/creamline-pldt-open-up-curtains-in-avc-womens-champions-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Creamline, PLDT open up curtains in AVC Women’s Champions League"},"content":{"rendered":"

Volleyball fans are in for a big Easter Sunday treat with four explosive matches marking the kickoff of the 2025 AVC Women\u2019s Champions League at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.<\/p>\n

Two of the Premier Volleyball League\u2019s top squads \u2013 Creamline and\u00a0PLDT<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 see action on Day 1 of the week-long tournament, which showcases some of Asia\u2019s best club teams aiming to flaunt their world-class talent and skills in front of passionate local fans still buzzing from the recent PVL All-Filipino Finals.<\/p>\n

Newly-crowned PVL champions Petro Gazz are sitting out opening day with a bye, while Creamline and\u00a0PLDT<\/span>\u00a0hit the court early, both reinforced by key additions expected to bolster their respective title bids.<\/p>\n

The Cool Smashers will debut in Pool A against Jordan\u2019s Al Naser Club at 4 p.m., while the\u00a0High Speed Hitters<\/span>\u00a0will take on Australia\u2019s Queensland Pirates in Pool D at 7 p.m. The eight-day event is supported by Mikasa, Mizuno, and Grand Sport.<\/p>\n

Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses believes his team has had enough time to recover from a grueling five-month PVL season and is ready to refocus on the continental stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cSiyempre, mga competitive kasi mga players. So, end of the day, siguro nag-iisip din yan. Pero, sa ngayon, nakabalik na sila sa kani-kanilang mga bahay (Of course, the players are competitive. So at the end of the day, they’re probably thinking about it too. But for now, they’ve already returned to their respective homes),\u201d said Meneses.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, maka-recover sila. Pero I think mabilis makaka-recover yung team. Bawi na lang siguro sa ibang conference. AVC, I think, laging competitive naman yung Creamline (“Hopefully, they’ll recover. But I think the team will bounce back quickly. Maybe they’ll make up for it in another conference. As for the AVC, I think Creamline is always competitive there),” he added.<\/div>\n
Creamline will be led by key imports Erica Staunton, who helped them secure last year\u2019s Reinforced Conference title leading to a record Grand Slam, and newcomers Anastassiya Kolomoyets and Anastasya Kudryashova.<\/div>\n

Veteran setter Rhea Villarete has also joined the squad, teaming up with Kyle Negrito to orchestrate plays as the Cool Smashers set their sights on a podium finish.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0PLDT<\/span>\u00a0coach Rald Ricafort shared his excitement as the\u00a0High Speed Hitters<\/span>\u00a0prepare for their international debut, embracing the honor of representing the country and the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really excited for the privilege ng pag-represent ng\u00a0PLDT<\/span>\u00a0at ng Pinas. Hopefully, sa first game namin, malabas agad namin ang laro namin at makuha \u2018yung result na gusto namin. But for sure, marami kaming makukuhang experience at learning sa tournament na \u2018to (We\u2019re really excited for the privilege of representing\u00a0PLDT<\/span>\u00a0and the Philippines. Hopefully, in our first game, we can immediately show our game and get the result we want. But for sure, we\u2019ll gain a lot of experience and learning from this tournament,)\u201d said Ricafort.<\/p>\n

PLDT<\/span>\u00a0will lean on Cuban import Wilma Salas, with Savannah Davison and Kianna Dy anchoring the local attack. Their opponents, Queensland, feature top-tier talents including Australian Volleyball Super League All-Star Kylee White, national team player Emma Burton and rising star Scarlett Rudder.<\/p>\n

The tournament begins with Kaohsiung Taipower (Chinese Taipei) facing Hip Hing (Hong Kong) in Pool B at 10 a.m., followed by a highly anticipated Pool C clash between China\u2019s Baic Motor and Iran\u2019s Saipa Tehran at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jordan\u2019s Al Naser Club, Creamline\u2019s first opponent, has bolstered its squad with three explosive Brazilian wing spikers \u2013 Isabela Paquiardi, Pully Klein, and Natiele Goncalves\u00a0\u2013 adding firepower to its campaign.
\nGames will air on One Sports, One Sports+, Pilipinas Live, and Volleyball World.<\/p>\n

The tournament format divides the 12 teams into four pools of three. The top two squads in each group advance to the quarterfinals, where cross-pool matchups will determine the semifinalists: A1 vs D2, A2 vs D1, B1 vs C2, and B2 vs C1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Volleyball fans are in for a big Easter Sunday treat with four explosive matches marking the kickoff of the 2025 AVC Women\u2019s Champions League at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. Two of the Premier Volleyball League\u2019s top squads \u2013 Creamline and\u00a0PLDT\u00a0\u2013 see action on Day 1 of the week-long tournament, which showcases some of Asia\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[270],"class_list":["post-2609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-avc-womens-champions-league"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t