Bracing for what many expected to be a routine romp, Creamline instead found itself tested \u2013 hard \u2013 but ultimately pulled through with its trademark championship composure, hacking out a 25-17, 25-17, 25-23 victory over Choco Mucho to secure a spot in the PVL Reinforced Conference quarterfinals Thursday night at the Araneta Coliseum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What looked early on to be another smooth cruise for the defending champions after dominating the first two sets turned into a gritty test of will and character. The Flying Titans, playing for survival and pride, came alive in the third set, showing renewed purpose and turning the stretch into the kind of thrilling finish fans had been waiting for \u2013 one that could\u2019ve gone either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Royse Tubino gave Choco Mucho a glimmer of hope late in the match, nailing a backrow attack that put the Titans ahead, 23-22. But the Cool Smashers, veterans of countless pressure-packed moments, didn\u2019t flinch. Drawing from their experience built over multiple championship stints, they calmly weathered the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coco Schwan responded with a kill that forced the eighth deadlock of the set, before Michele Gumabao unleashed a powerful hit that glanced off libero Thang Ponce\u2019s arms and went out of bounds \u2013 swinging the momentum back to Creamline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a frenetic exchange that followed \u2013 filled with blistering spikes, spectacular digs and gutsy floor defense \u2013 the Cool Smashers leaned on their vaunted net defense. They foiled Isa Molde\u2019s third attack attempt, sealing not just the set and one-hour, 18-minute match but also their coveted ticket to the knockout quarterfinals, which kick off on Nov. 24, also at the Araneta Coliseum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Creamline moved on with a 5-2 record, Choco Mucho bowed out of contention at 2-5, its campaign marred by a fourth straight defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I think nag-perform and nag-respond yung team sa game ngayon especially yung mga outside hitter naming. Talagang nagtrabaho sa passing at yung mga bench players nag-deliver din. Team work talaga yung nagpanalo samin today,\u201d said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Playmaker Kyle Negrito, who dished out 18 excellent sets to earn Best Player of the Game honors, said the team\u2019s mindset was clear heading into the final stretch of the prelims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlam namin na sa mga natitirang laro, hindi puwedeng magpabaya,\u201d said Negrito. \u201cKailangan naming pagtrabahuan bawat point, bawat possession. Our main goal is to execute our system properly, and we\u2019re happy to have done that today, especially in straight sets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that staying calm in crucial moments remains a vital part of Creamline\u2019s championship DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDown the stretch, composure talaga ang kailangan,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know that if we let our guard down, Choco Mucho will take advantage. Kaya pinagtrabahuan namin \u2018yun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cool Smashers\u2019 depth and poise once again proved decisive \u2013 qualities they\u2019ll need even more as they head into the business end of the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schwan led the charge for Creamline, topping the scoreboard with 15 points, while Gumabao contributed a solid nine markers. Meanwhile, Tots Carlos, Pangs Panaga, Sheen Toring, Alyssa Valdez and Lorie Bernardo combined for an additional 24 points, showcasing the Cool Smashers\u2019 depth and balanced offensive attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Choco Mucho, Molde carried the scoring load with 11 points, providing a steady presence amid the team\u2019s struggles. Import Marlee Smith had a slow start but found her rhythm in the third set, delivering a timely surge that helped ignite the Flying Titans\u2019 attempted comeback through powerful combination plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smith finished with five points overall, while Royse Tubino added six markers in a limited stint. Maddie Madayag and Kat Tolentino also chipped in, combining for 12 points to keep Choco Mucho competitive despite the uphill battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creamline flexed its muscle early, shaking off a brief 2-5 deficit to seize control and surge ahead, 16-10. The Cool Smashers\u2019 early rally was fueled by crisp execution and relentless pressure, capitalizing on Choco Mucho\u2019s mishits and erratic plays to carve out a commanding lead. The defending champions\u2019 composure and precision turned what began as a shaky start into an eight-point set win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Bracing for what many expected to be a routine romp, Creamline instead found itself tested \u2013 hard \u2013 but ultimately pulled through with its trademark championship composure, hacking out a 25-17, 25-17, 25-23 victory over Choco Mucho to secure a spot in the PVL Reinforced Conference quarterfinals Thursday night at the Araneta Coliseum. What looked…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[54,53],"class_list":["post-4123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-creamline-cool-smashers","tag-pvl-all-filipino"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4123"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4125,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4123\/revisions\/4125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}