By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Creamline Cool Smashers pulled off a much-needed bounce-back win after dominating the NXLED Chameleons, 25-22, 25-12, 25-20, in the ongoing Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on April 13, 2024, at the Philsports Arena.
After a disappointing five-set loss at the hands of the Petro Gazz Angels one week ago, the Cool Smashers vented its ire on NXLED to retake their momentum heading into their chase of a Final Four bid when the PVL playoffs kick-off.
Creamline started slowly against the Chameleons, committing several unforced errors that allowed NXLED to catch up and keep themselves within striking distance.
However, the veteran experience of the Cool Smashers rose to the occasion and steered them to bagging the tightly contested opening set.
As they snatched away NXLED’s momentum, Creamline just started to flip the switch in the second set and limited the Chameleons to one of their lowest-scoring outputs of the All-Filipino Conference.
With their blazing offense starting to pose problems to NXLED’s loose defense in the middle, the Cool Smashers just capitalized on every opportunity to build a 2-0 lead.
It was then all Creamline in the third and final set as Tots Carlos staged one last scoring avalanche to put the Cool Smashers in a favorable position.
The former PVL Most Valuable Player (MVP) top-scored Creamline with 18 big points built from 14 successful attacks to go alongside four service aces.
Backstopping Carlos was Alyssa Valdez who reached double-digits in scoring with 12 markers derived from 10 successful attacks.
The Cool Smashers will look to sustain their momentum and extend their winning streak on April 18, 2024, as they face the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the last game of the scheduled doubleheader.
