Minutes before stepping onto the court, the Creamline Cool Smashers bore witness to a shocker — an unheralded Galeries Tower squad stunning Cignal in one of the biggest upsets of the Premier Volleyball League season. It was a wake-up call the defending champions took to heart.
Determined to avoid the same fate, Creamline stormed into its qualifying round opener against Nxled with heightened urgency, swiftly dismantling the Chameleons in straight sets, 25-18, 25-17, 25-17, in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference at Philsports Arena on Thursday.
For team captain Alyssa Valdez, Galeries’ stunning victory over the HD Spikers underscored a harsh reality: no team is ever truly safe.
“(It was) very much important. I think we want to take that situation as well to have extra focus and motivation to stay aggressive and stay on our target this game, dahil sa nangyari sa kanila,” said the three-time PVL MVP.
The shockwaves sent by Galeries Tower—tenth-seeded and barely scraping into the playoffs—set the stage for a qualifying round where every match carries enormous weight. Their historic 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19 victory over third-seeded Cignal served as a reminder that underdogs can bite when given the chance.
For Creamline, the lesson was clear: execution and composure would be key.
The Cool Smashers took full control against Nxled, dictating the tempo with relentless attacks and a defensive wall that left the Chameleons scrambling.
Middle blocker Bea De Leon spearheaded the onslaught with 12 points, while Tots Carlos added nine. Jeanette Panaga and Michelle Gumabao chipped in seven apiece, while Valdez, Rose Vargas, Bernadeth Pons, and Jema Galanza each contributed four. Lorie Bernardo also made her mark with three points.
Beyond the dominant win, Valdez acknowledged the added pressure brought by the new tournament format. In this setup, losing teams in the qualifying round fall into the play-in phase, where they will have to fight for the last two quarterfinal spots. Creamline wanted no part of that scenario.
“If not, I mean, we took it as a challenge din ‘yung format, nakakakaba din talaga,” Valdez admitted.
“Knowing na one game lang talaga na pwede ka umangat. So we took it as a challenge and a privilege talaga, kaya naman extra extra aggressive and focused on this match.”
The Cool Smashers wasted no time asserting their dominance, setting the tone early with precise execution. Their balanced attack and defensive cohesion kept Nxled from gaining any momentum, and almost every Creamline player contributed on the scoreboard—a testament to the team’s depth.
“Well, very proud. (We’ve) been working really hard during practices. We’ve been putting in the work in our practices,” Valdez said.
