In a clash of powerhouse teams and top crowd drawers, Creamline and F2 Logistics didn’t disappoint, slugging it out kill-for-kill, run-for-run and dig-for-dig in a match predictably hauled to a five-set tussle.
But once the smoke cleared, the Cool Smashers found themselves on top, their win streak and pride intact after pounding out a 12-25, 25-15, 23-25, 30-28, 15-7 decision over the Cargo Movers in the semifinal round of the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Thursday.
“I missed playing in the semis, it’s been a while,” said Creamline skipper and leader Alyssa Valdez after delivering 17 points in her most prolific outing since being sidelined by a knee injury late last year. “Honestly, we knew F2 will give us a good fight and we also gave it to them.”
The two teams actually gave the more than 7,000 fans the kind of top-notch duel they expected although they had to endure the heat all match-long with F2 Logistics bringing in portable fans for the Cargo Movers’ comfort.
But it was the Cool Smashers who left the packed arena heaving with a sigh of relief as they rallied from 1-2 set down, survived a fourth set meltdown that saw them squander a 20-10 bulge and save one match point before dispatching the Cargo Movers with a crippling run early in the fifth.
The Cargo Movers looked exhausted from their swirling fourth set rally and played disorganized ball in the set that mattered most, surrendering eight straight points from a 1-all count, a no-no in such kind of a grudge encounter.
Majoy Baron broke F2’s deafening silence with a quick attack for a 2-9 count but Ara Galang, who helped key the Cargo Movers’ fourth set counter-attack, served into the net to stop whatever momentum they had gained. And though Tots Carlos also made a service error in the next play, the Cool Smashers took five of the next seven points to secure the two-hour, 24-minute win.
Creamline thus grabbed the solo lead with a 2-0 slate, counting its 1-0 carryover record after topping the Pool A elims, while Pool B topnotcher F2 Logistics dropped to 1-1 in a tie with Cignal, which earlier subdued PLDT, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21.
Jema Galanza topscored for Creamline with 20 points as she matched 17-hit outputs with Carlos on attacks with the latter finishing with 19 markers, while Ced Domingo added 16 markers in a match that featured everything, including a couple of kick saves from Jia de Guzman, who went on to finish with 21 excellent sets and two points.
The opposing coaches likewise tried to outwit each other with timely substitutions and switch of players but Sherwin Meneses winning the battle with Regine Diego as Risa Sato and Pangs Panaga came through with four points apiece with the former also providing the spark and spunk in the clutch.
Creamline’s victory also put to naught Myla Pablo’s game-long exploits that netted her 27 big points.
Kept out of the Cargo Movers’ starting rotation in the elims, Pablo came out firing from the get-go, scoring on thundering blasts from all angles, including on back row, while coming up with three blocks.
But the Cargo Movers simply faded in the fifth with their scoring drought while allowing the Cool Smashers to bang in the hits from both wings and in the middle with their quick plays.
While blowouts marred the first two sets which they split, the Cargo Movers and the Cool Smashers went at it in the pivotal frame as they battled it out through nine deadlocks and two lead changes with the former leaning on superb digging from Dawn Catindig and hitting from Myla Pablo to build three-point leads and the latter countering behind Carlos’ assaults and Ced Domingo’s quick attacks and blocking to force a tie at 15.
But with Pablo sustaining her awesome offense, the Cargo Movers took nine of the next 14 points to sit on a 24-20 cushion, only to drop three straight points, on Carlos and Valdez’s back-to-back kills and Kim Dy’s attack error, setting the stage for a nerve-wracking finish.
But after a good first ball, the Cargo Movers went to Dy, who redeemed herself from the previous slip with a power tip which Creamline challenged (net fault) to no avail.
The Cool Smashers, however, never backed down and like in the second frame, controlled the fourth, 12-6, 16-9 and 20-10, before succumbing in the face of the Cargo Movers’ fiery comeback before scrambling to victory in a wild finish, paving the way for the eighth match that went the distance since the elims.
