By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Creamline denied Akari a tournament sweep, displaying its championship experience to prevail 25-15, 25-23, 25-17 and capture the 2024 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference title Wednesday night, Sept. 4, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Cool Smashers dictated the tempo throughout the winner-take-all finals with their combination plays anchored on Erica Staunton and Bernadeth Pons to further cement their dynasty and claim their impressive ninth title in league history.
It was also Creamline’s second crown in the Reinforced Conference.
Akari’s defeat, however, was a tough pill to swallow as its 10-game winning streak, including its controversial five-set semifinal win over PLDT, went for naught.
Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses credited his team’s perseverance and hard work as they went through the grind after missing key players like Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza and Alyssa Valdez to injuries.
“Sa lahat ng championship na napanalunan namin, pareho lang. Pero eto mas maganda kasi marami kaming kulang pero dahil sa sobrang sipag ng mga players, nakuha namin yung championship,” said Meneses.
Pons, who eventually bagged the Most Valuable Player plum, filled in the void left by their hard-hitting players and powered Creamline with 14 powerful attacks and five aces to finish with 19 points.
Staunton was equally impressive and carried the load with 13 points built on nine kills and three blocks.
“It feels great to win the championship. I’m very grateful and blessed to be part of this team. It’s an experience of a lifetime,” said Staunton.
Apart from their strong offense, Creamline also banked heavily on its service by unloading 10 aces.
Akari came close to regaining the momentum in the second set, but could only do so far with Michele Gumabao and Bea De Leon also stepping up for Creamline.
Meanwhile, joining Pons in the list of individual awardees were Cignal’s Gel Cayuna (Best Setter), Petro Gazz’s Brooke Van Sickle and Akari’s Grethcel Soltones (Best Outside Spikers), Capital1’s Des Clemente and PLDT’s Majoy Baron (Best Middle Blockers), Farm Fresh’s Trisha Tubu (Best Opposite Spiker), Galeries Tower’s Alyssa Eroa (BestLibero), ZUS Coffee’s Sharya Ancheta (Rookie of the Conference), and Cignal’s MJ Perez (Best Import)
