CREAMLINE, whose seven-straight Premier Volleyball League finals appearance snapped in the last Reinforced Conference, is back in familiar territory by sweeping its way to the All Filipino Conference fFnals with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-16 victory over F2 Logistics before a roaring Tuesday crowd at SM Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday night.
A thriller of an escape in the hotly-contested second set spiked the Cool Smashers’ follow-up victory to their 26-24, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15 Game 1 win at the PhilSports Arena last Saturday as the crowd favorites finished strong in the first two sets then controlled the third to fashion out the one-hour and 47-minute victory.
Tots Carlos helped key the defending champions’ fightback in the second set then Jema Galanza took over after the rotation, hammering out back-to-back hits to shatter the 23-all count, converting the last on her third attempt after her first two blasts rammed into the Cargo Movers’ solid net defense.
Then it was all-Creamline show in the third as the Cool Smashers raced to a 14-8 bubble and never looked back with the Cargo Movers failing to recover from that stinging second set stumble, enabling the former to cruise victory—and to another title crack—to the delight of majority of 7,741 fans.
Galanza also wrapped up the third set on a combination play set up by Jia de Guzman, whose brilliant playmaking skills came into the fore again, finishing with 23 excellent sets to grab the game’s top honors.
“We’re so overwhelmed and really grateful for this win,” said de Guzman. “We missed the finals in the last conference but everybody was ready to step up.”
And step up they did, topping the eliminations marked by seven wins but marred by a lone loss (to the Cargo Movers) in five, and then toppling their tormentors in two in the semis.
Carlos topscored with 19 points, Michele Gumabao unloaded 12 hits, and Galanza and Ced Domingo added 11 markers apiece for the Cool Smashers, who outhit the Cargo Movers, 49-33, and scored five aces against their rivals two.
F2 Logistics lorded it over the net, producing 8 blocks, four more than Creamline but cracked at endgame of the nerve-wracking second set.
Kim Dy unleashed an 11-point game but Myla Pablo failed to hit double-digit and settled for a nine-point output while Ara Galang and Ivy Lacsina added six points each and Aby Marano and Elaine Kasilag chipped in three markers apiece.
The sweep of their best-of-three series likewise gave the Cool Smashers the needed break as the other semis match between Petro Gazz and PLDT headed to Game 3 after the High Speed Hitters forced the decider with a 14-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-15 earlier in the day.
The Angels, who took Game One, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18, and the resurgent High Speed Hitters dispute the other finals berth at 5 p.m. tomorrow, also at the Pasay arena.
The best-of-three finals will start Sunday.
Petro Gazz accounted for one of Creamline’s two losses in championship matches, winning in the 2019 Reinforced although the Cool Smashers got back at the Angels in the succeeding Open Conference finals.
Creamline also lost to Chery Tiggo in the 2021 Open which marked the pro inaugurals of the league organized by Sports Vision. The Cool Smashers have so far nailed five championships in the 2018 Reinforced and Open, the 2019 Open, the 2022 Open and Invitational, missing completing a record grand slam after settling for third in the Reinforced won again by Petro Gazz over Cignal.
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