By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Creamline Cool Smashers set up a Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference finals rematch with the Choco Mucho Flying Titans after blanking the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in their final game of the round-robin semifinals, 25-16, 25-21, 25-20, on May 5, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Needing a win to finalize a grand finals berth in the All-Filipino Conference, the Cool Smashers just stomped the Crossovers and didn’t allow them to build any momentum in the three-set affair.
The returning Tots Carlos maintained her consistent offensive efficiency for the Cool Smashers and top-scored her squad with 16 points built from 11 successful attacks.
Carlos, who was absent during their opening game of the PVL round-robin semifinals, immediately suited up for the team when she arrived back in the country after her Korean Volleyball League tryouts.
Creamline just tore Chery Tiggo apart with their team chemistry and tremendous ball distribution, torching the Crossovers in nearly two hours to secure the finals spot.
“Siyempre masaya kami at naka-finals kami ulit, pero hindi pa tapos yung trabaho. Ang target naman is ma-defend yung crown,” said Creamline’s mentor Sherwin Meneses.
After a convincing first-set victory, Creamline received a tougher challenge from the Crossovers after lessening their unforced errors in the last two sets.
Eya Laure also stepped up for the Crossovers but every time they did a mini-scoring run, the Cool Smashers always countered back and performed well in the most crucial stretches of the match.
Backstopping Carlos for the Cool Smashers was Alyssa Valdez who contributed 10 points derived from nine successful attacks.