Creamline completed perfect PVL Open Conference to capture gold
The Creamline Cool Smashers completed their redemption season as they swept the Petro Gazz Angels in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference Finals for a perfect finishlast April 8.
Creamline ended their campaign after a four-set Game 2 finals win over rival Petro Gazz, 25-18, 15-25, 25-23, 25-16, in front of 7,000 fans at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City,to capture their first ever title in the PVL since it turned professional in 2021.
“Mental toughness talaga at the end of the day. Grabe yung chemistry nila [Angels] as a team so kailangan talaga mentally we're prepared. We just listened to our coaches and new strategies din yung ginawa ng team namin,” said Alyssa Valdez who ended up being named as the Finals MVP in the series.
Coolsmasher Tots Carlos won her first professional awards as she was named the2022 Open Conference Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite Spiker minutes before Game 2 started.
Carlos ended up as the sole Creamline awardee as the Cignal HD Spikers dominated the rest of the individual honors, starting with Ces Molina, who won the Best Outside Spiker award alongside Petro Gazz Angels star Grethcel Soltones, together with Roselyn Doria and Ria Meneses who were both named Best Middle Blocker.
Capping the awards for the HD Spikers is setter Gel Cayuna as she captured the Best Setter award, marking the first time in PVL history that someone other than Creamline’s Jia de Guzman won the honor.
Lastly, F2 Logistics star Dawn Macandili won the Best Libero award in the Cargo Movers’ first season in the PVL.
This championship also marks coach Sherwin Meneses’ first taste of the championship after several semi final exits in different leagues.
“I’m so happy to finally win one championship after always falling short in my past stints,” said Meneses, who was promoted to head coach this season after Tai Bundit opted to stay in Thailand.
Meneses admitted it was not easy to fill in the big shoes of Bundit, who built the program and won the first three of the franchise’s four titles, crediting the former head coach still for their success this season.
Tags: #CCS, #volleyball, #PVL, #sports