By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Creamline Cool Smashers moved one win away from clinching another Premier Volleyball League (PVL) championship title after defeating the Choco Mucho Flying Titans 24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 25-16 in Game 1 of their PVL All-Filipino Conference finals on May 9, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Days after the Flying Titans handed the Cool Smashers their only defeat during the semifinals round-robin stage, Creamline exacted its revenge on Choco Mucho and extended its mastery in the PVL finals.
However, Creamline had to lay all its cards on the table against Choco Mucho after dropping the first set in a tightly contested affair.
The Cool Smashers then appeared to be in deep trouble again after the Flying Titans took an early lead in the second set, but a much-needed counterattack from Creamline ignited a momentum-clinching run.
Creamline banked on its deep roster as the bench duo of Michele Gumabao and Bea De Leon became the ex-factors in their win.
As soon as the 1-2 punch was inserted into the game, Creamline’s energy and momentum suddenly rose and propelled them to an impressive reverse sweep.
After three close sets, the Cool Smashers finally pulled away in the fourth and final frame led by the trio of Jema Galanza, Gumabao, and De Leon.
The Cool Smashers used a massive 10-1 scoring run that sucked the life out of the Flying Titans in the final crucial stretch of the fourth to run away with the victory.
Galanza top-scored for Creamline with 20 points and 13 excellent receptions, while Tots Carlos backed her up with 17 markers built from 15 successful attacks.
Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of De Leon and Gumabao combined for 16 points, six blocks, eight excellent receptions, and four excellent digs.
The Cool Smashers will look to wrap up the championship series on May 12, 2024, as they square off again with Choco Mucho for Game 2.
