Creamline once again made the Finals feel like its own playground, leaving Cignal looking like visitors still trying to get comfortable in a space they aren’t fully familiar with yet.
The Cool Smashers dictated the tempo from start to finish on Tuesday, overwhelming the Super Spikers in straight sets, 25-22, 25-18, 25-16, to take Game 1 and move within one win of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference title at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was another composed performance from Creamline, now making its 15th Finals appearance overall and ninth straight in the All-Filipino Conference. The team fended off every Cignal attempt to build momentum and pull within striking distance, before closing the door on a straight-set victory.
(C) PVL Images
After staying composed against a surging Super Spikers side in the opening set and asserting dominance in the second, the Cool Smashers opened the third with a 5-0 run. That stretched to 8-2 following a Jeanette Panaga block on Vanie Gandler. The early burst created immediate separation and put Creamline firmly in control.
The Cool Smashers never looked back, steadily widening the gap to as much as nine points, 22-13, behind a mix of Cignal errors and a 3-0 run capped by a Jema Galanza down-the-line hit that turned a 19-13 edge into a commanding cushion.
Bernadeth Pons, Bea De Leon, and Galanza then applied the finishing touches, combining for the final points to seal the straight-set win and move Creamline closer to an 11th championship overall.
“Siyempre, sobrang happy kasi in three sets namin nakuha yung Cignal. Malaking benefit kasi one-day preparation lang sa Game 2, so makakapag-rest kami nang maayos, then makakapag-training din kasi hindi pa naman tapos yung laban,” said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses.
“Pero siyempre, big advantage sa amin. Trabahuhin namin sa ensayo bukas yung mga lapses namin, then back to square one. Kasi ang Cignal, hindi naman talaga bibitaw — kaya nga nasa Finals sila. So hindi kami puwedeng magkampante,” he added.
Galanza delivered a team-high 17 points built on 16 attacks and one block, along with 13 excellent receptions in a near-flawless outing for the Cool Smashers, who committed just 12 errors. They also capitalized on 22 from the opposing side in the one-hour-and-31-minute win.
Pons also turned in a strong two-way performance with 11 points and 15 excellent digs, while Tots Carlos and De Leon chipped in nine and seven points, respectively.
The Cool Smashers’ offense ran smoothly behind the steady playmaking of Jia De Guzman, who finished with 22 excellent sets and added four points. Kyla Atienza anchored the defense with 12 excellent digs.
Creamline will look to close out the series in Game 2 on Thursday at 5:30 PM at the same venue, while Cignal hopes to bounce back and force a deciding Game 3.
(C) PVL Images
The Super Spikers, who had looked like a well-oiled machine heading into the Finals, appeared out of rhythm this time. They found themselves limited to just 38 successful attacks out of 174 attempts, as Creamline’s defense held firm throughout.
Gandler finished with 17 points on 56 attack attempts, along with 10 excellent receptions, while Erika Santos added 10 points on a 9-of-39 clip and contributed 10 excellent digs.
No other Cignal player reached double figures, with setter Gel Cayuna finishing next with six points but struggling to run the offense, as she was limited to just 14 excellent sets in the deflating loss.
Dawn Catindig led Cignal’s floor defense with 21 excellent digs.
