The battle of undefeated teams in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference round-robin semifinals, featuring Creamline and Japanese guest team Kurashiki, is set to take place tomorrow.
It has turned out to be even more exciting, as it serves as a preview for the gold medal match.
On Thursday at the Philsports Arena, the Ablaze fended off the strong showing of PLDT, securing a victory with a score of 25-15, 23-25, 25-14, 25-23. This win improved their record to 4-0, earning them a spot in the one-game final scheduled for Sunday.
The Cool Smashers secured their spot in the final last Tuesday after defeating Kinh Bac-Bac Ninh of Vietnam.
Despite Creamline being known for its strong offense, Kurashiki head coach Hideo Suzuki stated that his team prioritizes defense.
He said, “I know Creamline is really strong, and their offense is impressive, but our style is defense-first. So, if no balls drop, we won’t lose. We’ll really focus on defense,” through an interpreter.
On the other hand, concentration will be the main focus for Ablaze star Asaka Tamaru heading into their clash tomorrow and the gold medal showdown on Sunday.
Tamaru, who scored 30 points against the High Speed Hitters, admitted that the team has been feeling fatigued due to the compact schedule.
The Japanese squad has already played four matches in a span of six days, making it six games in nine days by the time they face Creamline in the final.
Tamaru said through an interpreter, “We don’t have much experience with consecutive games like this, so we’re a bit tired and our concentration is somewhat disrupted. However, this tournament is still a good experience for us. Creamline hasn’t been defeated yet, so we’ll continue to concentrate for tomorrow’s match.”
Suzuki, who has been awed by the support of Filipino volleyball fans since their arrival, is aware of the large Cool Smashers fanbase. He hopes that his team will also receive some love from the crowd despite being the guest team
“Creamline has a lot of fans, so I feel like we will really enjoy the game tomorrow. I hope that even though we are the guest team, many will still cheer for us,” said Suzuki.
