By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Creamline displayed the poise of a champion and downed Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh of Vietnam, 25-23, 25-23, 25-17, to claim a spot in the finals of the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Cool Smashers banked on the craftiness of setter Jia De Guzman and the booming spikes of Tots Carlos to book their fourth straight triumph in the round-robin semifinals that put them in their 9th finals appearance.
De Guzman distributed the ball well on the way to 17 excellent sets, while Carlos spearheaded Creamline’s attack by pumping in 16 points, including 14 attacks.
De Guzman said they had to adjust their game in the first two sets against an unfamiliar squad.
“It took us a couple of sets to learn and adjust in their game. The third set was where we had to come out and that’s what the coach really wanted from us,” said De Guzman, who also managed with three points.
Creamline trailed its Vietnamese rivals by as many as seven, 14-7 in the opening frame before finding its offensive rhythm – thanks to Carlos, Michelle Gumabao and Alyssa Valdez.
They turned a 19-13 deficit to a 20-19 lead and held on, before back-to-back attacks from Carlos and Valdez claimed the first-set win.
It was a similar scenario in the second frame where the Vietnamese kept the game close before Jeanette Panaga and Valdez shattered a 22-all count on the way to a 2-set lead.
From then on, the Cool Smashers dictated the pace as they took the third set with nary a trouble.
Overall, Creamline overpowered Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh on all departments particularly in attacks, 51-38, and blocks, 10-5.
Huong Nguyen scored 19 points and Le Xuan added 10 points for Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh, which absorbed its third straight defeat.
Valdez and Jema Galanza came through with 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Ced Domingo dominated the middle with four blocks and wound up with eight points.
Gumabao and Panaga matched eight-point outputs for the crowd favorites.
