Creamline displayed its vaunted championship poise and depth, overcoming Nxled in a thrilling five-set battle, 25-16, 22-25, 25-21, 15-25, 15-10, to extend its winning streak to five games in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Filoil Centre.
The Cool Smashers faced their first five-setter of the tournament but held their nerve in the decisive frame, tying with PLDT for second place in the standings at 5-1 while boosting their chances of clinching an outright berth in the qualifying round.
“Siyempre masaya kasi ‘yung fifth set, talagang doon mo makikilala ‘yung team namin ngayon. Kahit na veteran team kami, pero siyempre ‘yung experience na ganoon, ngayon na lang ulit naulit,” said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses.
“Kumbaga, nung pagbalik nina Jia (De Guzman) at (Bernadeth) Pons, ngayon na lang ulit nagkaroon ng ganoong labanan na may pressure, so talagang patibayan na lang ng lakas ng loob, ng dibdib, para makuha ‘yung panalo na ‘yun,” he added.
(C) PVL Images
With their backs against the wall, the Chameleons rallied in the fourth set, overpowering the Cool Smashers to push the match to a decisive fifth frame as they tried to halt a troubling losing streak.
But Creamline leaned on its collective effort in the finale. Jeanette Panaga, Tots Carlos, and Bernadeth Pons teamed up to give the team a 9-4 lead before Jema Galanza linked up with Pons late to seal the win after two hours and 22 minutes of action.
The trio of Panaga, Carlos, and Pons contributed two points each in the fast start, but successive errors from Pons and Bea De Leon allowed Nxled to narrow the deficit to 7-9.
Galanza then unleashed an out-of-system down-the-line hit, but MJ Phillips responded with a quick attack to cut the lead back to two. Finding her rhythm, Galanza scored on back-to-back hits before Brooke Van Sickle’s attack error handed Creamline a commanding 13-8 advantage.
Van Sickle fought to keep the Chameleons alive, delivering a scorching hit through two blockers and then blocking Galanza, cutting Nxled’s deficit to three at 10-13.
Not to be denied, Galanza finished a combination play, and Pons slammed the door on Nxled with an off-the-block kill, securing Creamline’s fifth consecutive win.
“Thankful ako kasi siyempre nag-respond ‘yung players. Ganun naman talaga, ‘yung sarili mo, dala mo kapag ganung mga labanan,” said Meneses.
Galanza finished with a team-high 19 points on 18 attacks and one ace, along with 10 excellent receptions and six excellent digs, while Pons tallied 18 points on 15 attacks and three kill blocks plus 13 excellent digs.
Carlos added 16 points and 13 excellent digs, while Panaga contributed 13 points on six attacks, six blocks, and one ace. De Leon also chipped in nine markers.
Jia De Guzman orchestrated the offense with 28 excellent sets and two points, while Jennifer Nierva shared libero duties with the returning Kyla Atienza, contributing 15 excellent receptions.
Creamline will look to strengthen its qualifying round bid when they face Akari on Thursday at 4 p.m. at the same venue.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, Nxled’s struggles continued as they dropped their fourth straight game to fall to 3-4 in the standings.
Van Sickle led the Chameleons with 28 points on 24 attacks, three blocks, and one ace, while Myla Pablo added 22 points on 15 attacks and seven kill blocks. MJ Phillips contributed 12 points, rounding out the double-digit scorers for Nxled.
Nxled will aim to snap its skid against ZUS Coffee on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
