Creamline was not ready to relinquish its dominance over Choco Mucho, especially with its Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference semifinal hopes on the line.
For the twelfth straight time, the Cool Smashers prevailed over the Flying Titans, but Thursday’s 25-17, 25-22, 25-19 triumph in front of 17,396 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum carried a little extra sauce.
“We always remember what coach Sherwin [Meneses] said, that our chance to get in the second round is in our hands,” Alyssa Valdez said after the game.
Creamline entered the match as one of five teams with two or fewer losses, and with only four squads advancing, everybody in that logjam is trying to avoid getting a third defeat.
And that’s why the Cool Smashers did not give their sister squad an inch.
“We talk about patience all the time in our team, not being pressured to be perfect all the time so that has been our battle cry,” Valdez said after Creamline’s victory over Choco Mucho in the same venue where the two clashed for the previous All-Filipino Conference title months ago.
“At this point of our conference where we need to get something, we get a different kind of motivation,” she added. “We get a push that we will not let go of the chance that we have,’ the multi-titled spiker said.
Creamline and Choco Mucho are now tied at 8-2 (win-loss) while Petro Gazz, PLDT and Chery Tiggo are in a three-way tie at 7-2.
With most of those five squads facing off eliminated squads to close out their preliminary round campaign, the key battle could end up being Creamline’s duel versus PLDT on April 25. If form holds in all the games before that, it would mean that one of those teams will be guaranteed a third loss.
Primary weapon
Last conference’s Finals Most Valuable Player Tots Carlos was still the primary weapon of Creamline after injecting 21 points, 18 coming from attacks and three from blocks.
Valdez and Pangs Panaga supported Carlos with 11 points each.
“Aside from the morale boost of getting the win, we’re really trying to find our way back most especially after struggling during the first part of this conference,” Valdez said. “This game against Choco Mucho was a big help for us to settle down and really bring back the fire and hunger to win and play better.”
During the offseason, two Flying Titans became Cool Smashers: middle blocker Bea de Leon and libero Denden Lazaro-Revilla. And that might have been a crucial factor for Creamline to sweep Choco Mucho for the fourth time.
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De Leon added nine points while Revilla guarded the floor with 17 excellent receptions.
“Very crucial win for us, especially going into the semis. This win boosts our chances and at the same time our momentum moving forward,” Revilla said after being on the opposite side of the net from her former team for the first time.