Cool Smashers banking on chemistry in 'epic' duel vs Angels

MANILA, Philippines — Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses was never really a boastful person.

But when asked recently which team between his own and Petro Gazz is the team to beat in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference finals unfurling Tuesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, he didn’t bat an eyelash in answering.

“I think medyo lamang ang Creamline in terms of chemistry,” said Meneses moments after the Cool Smashers arranged a best-of-three titular showdown with the Angels following a 25-19, 25-15, 25-15 thrashing of the Choco Mucho Flying Titans Tuesday at the Big Dome.

“Senior team din sila, halos wala din bago sa line up and I think maganda laban sa finals. Pero kami sa Creamline, hindi kami basta basta magpapatalo,” he added.

Creamline and Petro Gazz split their two duels this conference but the latter seemed to have an edge after winning the most recent one — a 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16 win last week — that propelled it to sweeping the semifinals in three matches.

But for Creamline captain Alyssa Valdez, she expects nothing less than an epic duel.

“It’s always been a classic whenever we play Petro Gazz in the finals. We can’t expect anything less than that,” said Valdez, who has been on a renaissance after battling injuries the last two seasons.

“We’re just going to work harder. Honestly, one of the things we needed to do is to communicate effectively in those crucial times,” she added.

But for the Cool Smashers to have a stronger chance at getting back at the Angels, they hope to accomplish two things — sustain their excellent net defense after swatting away 10 spikes last game versus Choco Mucho and find a way to slow down a juggernaut in former league Most Valuable Player Brooke Van Sickle.

“Sana mas marami kami ma-block sa Petro Gazz,” said Meneses.

“Mental toughness would be the key against Brooke,” said Creamline spiker Tots Carlos.