Kobe Shinwa University secured its biggest win yet in the 2025 PVL Invitational, delivering a statement victory over defending champion Creamline.
Bouncing back from a tough loss to PLDT on Monday, the Japanese guest team used that setback as fuel, outlasting the Cool Smashers in four hard-fought sets, 27-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, on Tuesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Head coach Kiyokazu Yamamoto reminded his youthful squad — whose average age is just 19 — that they came to the Philippines to challenge the country’s best teams.
Against PLDT, Kobe Shinwa battled gamely but fell short, dropping tight sets, 20-25, 22-25, 23-25.
That match, Yamamoto said, became a point of reflection for the players to close out frames more effectively.
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“All the sets were close against PLDT, but we couldn’t finish them. Today, I reminded my players that we are challengers, and that mindset helped them perform well,” said the longtime KSU mentor.
“All the sets were close again today, but this time, we were able to take them.”
The Japanese collegiate team overwhelmed Creamline with its relentless offense, racking up 69 attack points compared to the Cool Smashers’ 56.
Kokoro Yasuma shone with an all-around performance, scoring 23 points on 21 attacks and two aces while also recording 12 excellent receptions.
Arisu Ishikawa and Nagisa Komatsuda added 16 points each. Reira Miyazaki contributed 11 and Yuia Yamano chipped in nine to hand Creamline its second straight loss.
“I already knew that Creamline likes to play fast and run a lot of combinations, so that’s what we focused on in our preparation,” Yamamoto said.
With the win, Kobe Shinwa improved to 2-1 and climbed to solo third place, boosting its chances of securing a championship berth.
The guest team still has matches against Cignal and Chery Tiggo. At the end of the elimination round, the top two squads will meet for the gold medal, while the third- and fourth-ranked teams will battle for bronze.
