Where does that 36-34 set between Farm Fresh and Creamline fall in PVL history?

The Creamline Cool Smashers have been a part of countless significant moments in the local volleyball scene, but the decorated club team found itself shaken by the young Farm Fresh Foxies at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Saturday for their 2024 PVL season opener.

The fancied Cool Smashers surrendered a marathon first set to the Foxies, who carved out a 36-34 decision, after 45 minutes.

In the said frame, the Foxies tallied 20 attacks and two aces while generating 14 points from the Cool Smashers' errors. Trisha Tubu led the charge with 10 points.

On the other hand, Creamline had 23 attacks, a block and an ace while feeding off nine points from Farm Fresh's miscues. Tots Carlos was the top scorer with nine markers.

Funny enough, the Foxies also took a set from the Cool Smashers in the 2023 PVL Second All-Filipino Conference in a four-set loss, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22.

Looks like the Foxies' Japanese training is working wonders if they're giving the defending champions a fight right from the start.

[ALSO READ: Ganbatte! PVL teams are embracing the Japanese system and why it's a good thing]

This isn't the longest set played in the Premier Volleyball League though.

That record was the 41-39 first-set win of Choco Mucho over the Pacifictown-Army in the PVL Open Conference in 2019. But during this time, the PVL held a semi-professional status.

The Lady Troopers outlasted the Flying Titans in that gruelling, two-hour and 46-minute contest, 9-41, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-12.

Fast forward to the 2022 PVL Reinforced Conference Finals, when the Petro Gazz Angels fended off the Cignal HD Spikers in Game 1 after a very long Set 3, 37-35. This marks the longest set in the PVL since the league turned pro, which slots set 1 of Creamline-Farm Fresh at number 2.

In the 2023 Invitational Conference, F2 Logistics beat Petro Gazz in the fourth set of their five-setter, 35-33, marking the third-longest set in the PVL pro era.