Cool Smashers back in familiar spot – finale

MANILA, Philippines — On the brink of elimination several times, Creamline time and again found a way to survive.

In desperate need of a victory, the Cool Smashers delivered one more time last night with a decisive 25-16, 25-21, 25-20 bashing of the Chery Tiggo Crossovers to go straight to the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference finals before a mammoth crowd of 17,834 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It will be Creamline versus Choco Mucho as the Flying Titans eliminated Petro Gazz, 23-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-20, later in the night.

Creamline came through with one of its best, if not the best, performances in what has been a roller-coaster conference, securing a second win in three semifinal matches for an outright finals stint – its 11th in 14 conferences.

It came amid the struggles Creamline faced as it barely made the semis after losing three in the elimination round – its worst in a long while – and blowing a won-game in a heartbreaking five-set defeat to sister team Choco Mucho.

It also fought through an elimination game versus Petro Gazz, surviving in four sets.

Entering the game yesterday, a loss would have sent the Cool Smashers packing. But Creamline wouldn’t be denied.

“Motivation ko ay mga teammates lang din. Sabi nga namin itong season na ito, nilalaban namin para sa isa’t isa,” said Creamline setter Kyle Negrito, who came through with 16 excellent sets while sneaking in six hits.

PVL Notes: The Philippine National Volleyball Federation yesterday gave the Premier Volleyball League the full responsibility of forming the national women’s team seeing action in international competitions starting with the Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup later this month.