Creamline Cool Smashers moved a win away from reclaiming their crown with a 25-22, 25-18, 25-16 rout of the Cignal Spikers in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference best-of-three finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, April 21.
After surviving a tightly-contested opener, the Cool Smashers rode their momentum to close out Game 1 in the next two frames before edging closer to a top podium finish after failing to defend their title in the previous edition.
Jema Galanza led the charge for Creamline, tallying 17 points and 13 excellent receptions, enough to earn her Player of the Game honors.
“Sobrang importante talaga sa’min at sobrang eager kami na makuha itong Game 1 at matapos namin hanggang Game 2. Yung semis talagang kinalimutan namin at sinabi naming amin talaga ang game na ito,” Galanza stated in an interview.
It was a neck-and-neck battle in the first set, but the Cool Smashers stood tall and then cruised to a convincing win in the second frame to take a 2-0 lead.
Creamline continued to showcase its offensive prowess, blasting to a 5-0 start in the third set to dictate the early tempo.
The Super Spikers tried to stay alive in the match after trailing by as much as nine points, 22-13, following back-to-back errors from the Cool Smashers.
However, the Creamline standouts immediately ended the potential upswing as Bernadeth Pons delivered a down-the-line kill.
Bea De Leon then put Creamline at match point, and Galanza finally sealed the deal with an off-the-block hit.
The two teams will clash again on Thursday, April 23, in Game 2 of their gold medal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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