MANILA -- The Creamline Cool Smashers are bracing for a tough campaign in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference, where they are seeking to retain their title.

Action in the Invitational starts on June 27 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, with the Cool Smashers opening their title-retention bid against the Chery Tiggo Crossovers.

"Equal footing talaga lahat," Creamline captain Alyssa Valdez said in a recent interview on "The Game," as she noted the addition of three new teams to the field.

"One thing that will make a team stand out from the rest is yung system kasi it's just a fast conference," she added.

Only two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinal phase, where they will be joined by two foreign guest teams. The Cool Smashers are in Pool A along with Akari, PLDT, Chery Tiggo, and newcomer Gerflor. Pool B is composed of Choco Mucho, Cignal HD, F2 Logistics, Petro Gazz, returning Foton, and debuting Farm Fresh.

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While Creamline's chemistry is tried and tested, they remain wary of their opponents particularly the teams that have beefed up with rookies during the break between conferences.

One of those teams that feature new faces is their opening day opponent, Chery Tiggo, which added University of Santo Tomas' Eya Laure and Imee Hernandez, along with National University's Princess Robles, Jennifer Nierva, and Joyme Cagande to their line-up.

"Individually, the team is excited, especially our rookies since they have looked up to not only our players but also the rest of the players in our league. Now, we just need to use this and work it to our favor," said Crossovers head coach Aaron Velez.

The Cool Smashers were not idle in the mid-season break, adding beach volleyball star Bernadeth Pons to their roster.