By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Another conference ended, another championship title for the Creamline Cool Smashers.
Facing adversity early in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference grand finals after going down 0-1 against the Petro Gazz Angels, the Cool Smashers showed why you should never underestimate a heart of a champion when they swept the last two games to clinch their sixth trophy in eight years.
Creamline finished the deciding Game 3 in just four sets, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15, and hauled their fourth overall All-Filipino championship title last March 30, 2023, held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
It wasn’t the start that the Cool Smashers wanted in a winner-take-all decider after committing tons of unforced errors which allowed the Angels to take the early advantage in the opening set.
Despite the on-point sets that Jia Morado-De Guzman is dishing out midway through the first set, Creamline’s outside hitters just struggled to put up points on board.
Petro Gazz then capitalized on their final six offensive possessions to stun the Cool Smashers when they nabbed a 0-1 advantage.
Needing someone to step up and energize the pink nation, crafty spiker Jema Galanza electrified the Cool Smashers after a hot start in the second set.
Galanza’s offensive snowball then became contagious as Michele Gumabao and Tots Carlos joined the hitting party that helped Creamline seize the much-needed momentum in the last three sets.
There was nothing that the Angels could do after the trio of Galanza, Gumabao, and Carlos embraced the bright lights. Despite MJ Phillips’ presence in the middle area, Petro Gazz still failed to neutralize Creamline’s surge and seemed to let the game slip away when the Cool Smashers built a 16-8 lead in the last set.
Galanza top-scored for the Cool Smashers with 19 points while the duo of Gumabao and Carlos contributed 18 and 16 markers, respectively.
Meanwhile, Jonah Sabete continued her consistent outing for the Angels after dropping 17 points and 11 excellent digs but her efforts fell short when Creamline stepped on the gas pedal in the fourth set.
