PVL: Creamline heads to semis after beating Chery Tiggo

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATED) The Creamline Cool Smashers are through to the semifinals of the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) after ousting defending champions Chery Tiggo, Monday at the jampacked FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The Cool Smashers claimed a 25-18, 25-14, 23-25, 25-19 triumph to end the Crossovers' title defense, and earn a measure of revenge after last year's loss in the finals.

After topping Pool B with a 3-0 record, Creamline had a twice-to-beat edge and needed just one win to advance to the best-of-3 semifinals. They play the winner of the quarterfinals match-up between Choco Mucho and PLDT.

Chery Tiggo, meanwhile, drops to the classification phase.

"We were happy na talagang aggressive lahat. Unfortunately medyo nakuhanan din kami talaga ng set. Sabi nga ni coach, 'yun naman talaga, babalik at babalik 'yung Chery, with the experience from last year," said Creamline captain Alyssa Valdez.

"So we're just really thankful for the win today," she added.

Tots Carlos led Creamline with 17 points, while Jema Galanza had 16 markers and Jeanette Panaga added 15. Valdez had 11 points, and Ced Domingo scored 10. The Cool Smashers had a massive 58-37 advantage in kills.

Creamline unleashed its firepower in the first set, where they registered 19 kills, including a clutch drop shot from Valdez from the back row to give them a 23-18 advantage. Galanza's off-the-block hit put the Cool Smashers at set point, and a mishit by Maika Ortiz gave them the win.

Set 2 was a comfortable victory for Creamline, as they raced to a 20-9 advantage with Jia Morado orchestrating hits for virtually every attacker. The Crossovers got three straight points courtesy of Mylene Paat to inch closer, but a big hit by Carlos ended their rally.

Celine Domingo punctuated the set with a highlight-reel rejection of a Dindin Santiago backrow hit for a 24-13 count. An Ortiz runner briefly kept the Crossovers alive, but Galanza's powerful attack broke down the Chery Tiggo blockers and put Creamline up 2-0.

But Chery Tiggo stayed alive, thanks to an amazing run in the third set, which saw them score five unanswered points after falling behind 23-20. EJ Laure was the game-changer, as she scored back-to-back hits to keep the Crossovers alive, before a mishit by Carlos knotted the count. In the next rally, Laure again came up clutch as she blocked a Carlos attack, putting Cherry Tiggo at set point. A surprise attack by setter Jasmine Nabor completed the Crossovers' comeback.

"Expected naman namin na hindi ganoon kadali 'yung game, kasi siyempre defending champions sila. Ready rin kami doon sa comeback nila sa third set, so naka-recover naman kami agad," said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.

They averted a meltdown in Set 4, thanks to clutch hits from Jeanette Panaga who helped Creamline to a 21-17 lead. Tots Carlos also came up big, nailing the off-the-block hit that brought them to match point, 24-19, before Panaga's running attack wrapped up the win for Creamline.

Paat was the lone player in double digits for Chery Tiggo, with 11 points. Laure had nine points in just three sets of action, while Dindin Santiago-Manabat was limited to four points.