Creamline threw almost everything at Chery Tiggo to rally from an early stumble and pound out a richly deserved 17-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-21 victory as it regained not just its winning ways but also the lead in the Premier Volleyball League All Filipino Conference at the packed Philsports Arena in Pasig on Saturday.
The Cool Smashers needed to draw more than playmaker Jia de Guzman’s superb decision-making, Kyla Atienza’s amazing floor defense and the team’s vaunted hitters’ power as they used their veteran smarts and a combination of everything to repulse the rallying Crossovers in a frenzied fourth set duel marked by furious rallies and wild saves.
The victory was Creamline’s fourth against a loss it suffered in five sets to F2 Logistics last week while dealing Chery Tiggo its second straight defeat after the latter took a numbing shutout defeat to a resurgent PLDT side last Tuesday.
Jema Galanza came away with a 25-hit effort while Michele Gumabao and Ced Domingo scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, and Tots Carlos chipped in points coming off a hamstring injury she sustained during their match with the Cargo Movers.
De Guzman wound up with 34 excellent sets while Atienza produced 20 excellent digs and a number of intangibles to clinch the game’s top honors.
“It was tiring, but for the team, we needed extra effort and extra defense,” said Atienza, adding that they also continued to draw inspiration from their supporters from the 5,562 fans who watched the match.
“They always boost our confidence,” she added.
EJ Laure fired 15 points while Shaya Adorador added 11 markers but top hitter Mylene Paat struggled for 10 points and Cza Carandang finished with seven hits for the Crossovers, who drew 18 excellent sets from Alina Bicar and 14 excellent digs from Buding Duremdes.
De Guzman’s shoulder hit that led to Gumabao’s match-clinching blast capped the Cool Smashers’ thrilling victory highlighted by Atienza’s spectacular dig from a hard blast and a spectacular save in a single play that led to a Creamline point, and a couple of Galanza’s clutch drop shots, the last giving the defending champions a 23-19 cushion.
But back-to-back attack errors by Gumabao and Galanza enabled the Crossovers to pull within two, but Gumabao recovered and fired an off-the-block hit to put Creamline at match point before wrapping it all out by completing De Guzman’s heroics in a scramble of a finish.
Creamline’s ace setter likewise laced her game-long brilliance with a faked head pass that baffled Chery Tiggo’s defense as she completed an easy 1-2 play that made it 18-16 in the fourth.
She also anchored a number of combination plays anchored on Galanza and Tots Carlos and middles Domingo and Pangs Panaga.
In a duel of the league’s top two attacking teams, the Crossovers took control early on a strong finishing kick, but had no answer to the Cool Smashers’ fiery comeback in the next and a dominating run in the third.
“Nakapag-prepare talaga sila (Crossovers) sa amin. Medyo nag-adjust kami sa first set, hindi masyadong maganda ang service receive naming kaya naapektuhan ‘yung atake namin,” said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.
But the Crossovers did fight back in the fourth, wresting control at 10-6, only to yield the next three points on a Pangs Panaga dump, a Gumabao kill and a de Guzman ace.
That set the stage for a wild finish although the Cool Smashers regained control at 15-11 before the Crossovers struck back took the next three points, the last two off a Gumabao mishit and a Carlos attack error.
But Creamline countered with another big run, scoring seven of the next 10 points for a 22-17 cushion capped by Galanza’s drop shot and off-the-block hit. And after Chery Tiggo threatened to within three, Galanza again duped the Crossovers’ defense with a clever drop shot for a 23-19 lead.
