CREAMLINE cut erstwhile unbeaten KingWhale-Taipei down to size with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-8 victory and bagged the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference crown before a roaring crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena yesterday.
The Cool Smashers needed just three sets to dispatch the once-formidable Taiwanese and posted their second title triumph after sweeping pasty Petro Gazz in the recent Open Conference finals after losing to Chery Tiggo when the league marked its inaugural pro staging in a bubble set-up in Ilocos Norte last year.
While the win proved quicker than expected, the Cool Smashers had to go through some anxious moments, particularly in the second set when the Taiwanese fought back and took the last of their two six-point leads at 17-11 on a Kyle Negrito service miscue.
But Chang Chih-Hsuan’s flawed serve in the ensuing play sparked a Creamline run that the Cool Smashers sustained till the end of the 80-minute match as they countered with a decisive 14-2 binge that pushed the Open Conference champions to the threshold of another gold medal feat.
They kept the momentum of that big assault, racing to an 11-3 lead in the third and cruising to the trouble-free win to the delight of majority of 7,148 fans, whose thundering roars kept the Cool Smashers’ adrenaline rush pumping while befuddling the Taiwanese poise so evident in their pair of five-set escapes that steered them to the finals.
In the bronze medal match, Cignal edged PLDT 17-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 15-5.
Rachel Anne Daquis starred for the HD Spikers with 16 points and 14 digs, while Roselyn Doria added 14 markers, nine from kill blocks.
Open spiker Jerrili Malabanan also had 13 points and seven excellent receptions, while setter Gel Cayuna got seven points, four from service aces, with 20 excellent sets for Cignal, which bagged its second straight third-place finish.
The HD Spikers, who bounced back from an 18-25, 25-15, 21-25, 22-25 loss to KingWhale last Saturday, played without Ces Molina and Ria Meneses due to health and safety protocols.
The High Speed Hitters failed to make up for a 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 25-20, 13-15 defeat also to KingWhale last Tuesday.
“Siyempre una, thank you kay Lord, grabe and then sa management namin sa support talaga and iyon nga, pinagu-usapan namin kanina grabe sumuot kami sa butos ng karayom. As in, iyong pinagdaanan namin kanina, napalitan namin ng magandang ending which is iyon naman iyong goal namin pero sobrang slow start talaga kami,” Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos said. — Abby Toralba