By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Creamline reaffirmed its mastery over Petro Gazz, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23, at the start of the semifinal round of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference Thursday, Nov. 24, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Cool Smashers, however, had to dig deeper in the third set after trailing 17-13 before turning the tide in their favor to claim their first win in the round-robin phase.
Creamline also beat Petro Gazz, 25-19, 16-25, 25-18, 27-25, in the elims last Oct. 18.
While Yeliz Basa was again on the forefront of the team’s onslaught by firing 16 kills to finish with 17 points, it was Ced Domingo who delivered the telling blows.
Tied at 23-all following back-to-back kills from MJ Phillips and Lindsey Vander Weide, Domingo answered back with three straight quick spikes that sealed the win for Creamline.
Domingo finished with 10 points.
Jema Galanza and Alyssa Valdez also helped the Cool Smashers’ cause by contributing 14 and 11 points, while Jia De Guzman distributed the ball well with 19 excellent sets.
“Everyone really went back to the basics (in the third set),” said De Guzman.
“We know naghahabol kami and coach really did a great job in keeping the team composed.”
With everybody contributing a little of everything, the Cool Smashers tallied 53 kills against only 37 for Petro Gazz.
The Cool Smashers also took advantage of the Angels’ erratic serves which helped their cause a lot.
Vander Weide finished with 16 points in a losing cause for Petro Gazz, while Phillips and Aiza Pontillas scored 11 and 10.
