MANILA, Philippines -- Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses hailed the composure displayed by his players after the Cool Smashers swept Cignal HD in their semifinal match-up in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference.

Tots Carlos led the way once more in Creamline's 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 triumph against the HD Spikers on Monday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The win gave the Cool Smashers a measure of revenge, as they had lost to Cignal HD when they met in the elimination round last month.

For Meneses, the difference was that Creamline played a more composed game, as opposed to how they performed in July.

"I think the composure is okay today," said Meneses, as Creamline stayed unbeaten in the semifinals and moved one win away from a spot in the gold medal match.

"'Yung last game, medyo nakakalamang kami, pero hindi namin natatapos 'yung set. Ngayon, natuto na kami sa lesson namin, noong natalo kami sa Cignal, na kailangan maging maganda 'yung composure namin hanggang sa 25 points. Siguro 'yun ang naging key," he added.

When they played in the elimination round, the Cool Smashers faltered down the stretch of their games against the HD Spikers.

They squandered a big lead in the second set and lost, and couldn't hold on down the stretch of the fourth frame. Cignal HD took the win, 25-21, 26-24, 14-25, 25-22.

Creamline team captain Alyssa Valdez noted that they were better prepared against Cignal HD in the semifinals, as they had a full roster of players available.

"Kulang din noong nasa Sta. Rosa kami," she pointed out. "But now, we fought as a team talaga, mapa nasa labas o nasa loob. Kumpletong-kumpleto talaga."

"It's about being present in each and every point," Valdez further stressed. "I think that's really the big difference."

• MATCH RECAP: Creamline on brink of gold medal match after sweep of Cignal

The Cool Smashers couldn't overcome their errors against Cignal HD in the eliminations, dwelling on the miscues that they made in the game. They gave away a total of 32 free points in that contest, off-setting a 58-38 advantage in kills.

They still committed 23 unforced errors in their semifinals match, but Valdez said they dealt better with their mistakes this time around.

"Noong previous game kasi namin, medyo we're really thinking about focusing on the errors and everything. But now we're really focusing on each other," she said. "Ang cheesy man but focusing on each other in a sense na we're celebrating kahit ano mangyari. A point is a point, so 'yun 'yung mindset namin today."

The Cool Smashers overwhelmed Cignal HD in the first two sets, before holding them off in the third set. The HD Spikers were within two points, 24-22, but after a quick timeout by Meneses, Creamline wrapped up the match via a quick hit from Celine Domingo.

"Siyempre, 'di naman basta basta magpapatalo 'yang Cignal. Kung ano 'yung best effort nila, kailangan mahigitan lang namin," said Meneses. "Ayun nga, composure, kasi last time lumalamang kami, tapos biglang pagdating sa dulo naihahabol. Luckily natapos namin 'yung tatlong sets na ganun."

Creamline returns to action on Friday against guest team KingWhale Taipei.

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