Creamline Cool Smashers powers through Petro Gazz to claim lead in PVL finals series
The Creamline Cool Smashers looks to ease on their championship journey in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference as they take a series lead over the Petro Gazz Angels in four sets, 25-16, 23-25, 25-12, 32-30, in Game One of the best-of-three finals on Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Creamline showed up in front of more than 14,000 led by their orchestrator multi-time Best Setter Jia Morado-De Guzman finishing with 39 excellent sets and 15 excellent digs, while libero Kyla Atienza shored them up with 25 excellent digs and 15 excellent receptions.
“This is the finals, the last few days of the PVL Open Conference. We want to pour everything we have learned from training, even from what we learned last conference,” said De Guzman. “This is what drives us to work hard.”
In the offensive side, Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos took over scoring with 26 points apiece, while Jema Galanza added 17 markers, proving the spark for the team that produced 76 attack points against the Angels’ 41.
The Gazz Angels got 13 points from MJ Phillips, including a game-high six blocks while Soltones chipped in 12 points before exiting due to an apparent knee injury and Sabete came off the bench and finished with 11 points.
CCS cruised in the first set but the Angels tightened up their defense in the second set and managed to take advantage of Creamline’s errors to steal the second set.
Sherwin Meneses and Creamline bounced back in the third in an aggressive manner as the lead ballooned up to double digits and never gave the Angels a chance to quip a comeback.
The 4th set was as equal as it gets as the fans were treated to an extended set as Sabete put the Gazz Angels first at set point, 24-22, before Valdez unleashed a crosscourt hit and Carlos fired an ace to force a deuce.
The two teams went back-and-forth from there, with Creamline saving four more set points before a Valdez hit shifted the lead back in their favor, 29-28.
Tots Carlos came through with an off-speed hit to break a 30-all count in the fourth then the Cool Smashers snatched the set and the match after an error by Seth Rodriguez who went long off a chance ball.
Petro Gazz Angels will have the chance to equalize in the series as Game 2 of the series will be on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
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