By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Creamline Cool Smashers pulled off a flawless victory against the Army-Black Mamba after sweeping them in three-straight sets, 25-15, 25-20, 25-12, in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference last February 28, 2023, held at the PhilSports Arena.
After taking care of business against the star-studded Chery Tiggo Pro Crossovers team during their last match, the league-leading Cool Smashers continued its mastery and is now poised to clinch another PVL semifinals seat.
Despite the absence of superstar outside hitter Jema Galanza, who was ruled out of the game because she wasn’t feeling well, Creamline still managed to sustain their firepower, thanks to their bench mob that stepped up to the challenge.
Rosa Vargas filled in the spot of Galanza in Creamline’s starting rotation and proved her worth after finishing with seven points built from four service aces.
Aside from her offensive contributions, the solid role player also helped in the defensive department and tallied six successful digs and four excellent receptions.
Tots Carlos led the Cool Smashers after finishing the dominant win with 17 big points paced by 14 successful attacks and two service aces.
Army was close to changing the complexion of the match after inching close in the second set but Carlos’ scoring spree sparked Creamline’s clutch offensive run in the final four possessions.
Michele Gumabao, one of the veterans in the stacked Cool Smashers team, also showed out when the team needed her the most and chipped in 11 points and two blocks.
“May opportunity lang talaga makapaglaro ‘yung stringers. Yung training naman ng first six namin same lang with stringers so alam nila gagawin nila,” Cool Smashers head coach Sherwin Meneses said after the game.
With the win, Creamline just improved to five wins and a loss and is now sitting at the top spot of the All-Filipino Conference behind the PLDT High-Speed Hitters and the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers.
Meanwhile, the veteran Army team is yet to clinch its first-ever win in the tournament and is hoping to get out of the last spot in the rankings with a 0-5 win-loss record.
