The Creamline Cool Smashers looked every bit the determined veterans, taking down the Ateneo-Motolite Lady Eagles in Game One of the Premiee Volleyball League Open Conference Finals, 25-17, 25-10, 25-15, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Creamline quickly zoomed to double-digit leads in each set, bombing the Lady Eagles with stifling aces and heavy serves.
The Cool Smashers piled up 11 aces and limited Ateneo to 22 spikes. Creamline also circumvented Ateneo’s blocking advantage, as the Lady Eagles had just one.
“I think very happy lang na ganito yung result din. Hindi naman namin binabalewala yung Ateneo pero we’re just really happy,” said Creamline captain and former Lady Eagle Alyssa Valdez.
“Ngayon siguro, we’re just really lucky lahat ng pinuntos namin, hindi naman as solid as pinupuntos namin nung previous game. But I think we came na alam namin na ang Ateneo very tall, very good at blocking, good services talaga. And kung hindi kami makakapalo, kailangan namin pumuntos sa ibang bagay, which is I think it’s a total team effort talaga ‘yung win na ‘to,” she added.
Valdez finished with 14 points, half of which came from aces, while Michele Gumabao added 12 markers.
Bea De Leon managed seven points for the Lady Eagles, while Kat Tolentino and Maddie Madayag each added six.
The Cool Smashers can take their second straight title in Game Two on Saturday at the Batangas City Coliseum.
The Scores
Creamline (3) – Valdez 14, Gumabao 12, Galanza 9, Sato 8, Soriano 7, Morado 6, Atienza (L), Gohing (L)
Ateneo-Motolite (0) – De Leon 7, Madayag 6, Tolentino 6, Gandler 3, Gaston 2, Wong 2, Samonte 1, Fanger 0, Maraguinot 0, Gequillana (L), Ravena (L)
