Creamline swept all 11 elimination round games in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday.
The Cool Smashers overcame a first-set setback against the Galeries Highrisers, showcasing strength in the subsequent sets with scores of 19-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-13, securing an unblemished 11-0 record heading into the semifinals.
While reveling in the accomplishment of winning 11 challenging games in the country’s premier league, Creamline recognizes that this is merely the commencement of a longer and more arduous journey to defend the AFC.
“Congrats sa mga players namin kasi nga yung sa elimination naka 11-0 kami, pero syempre yung goal namin is mas mataas pa sa eliminations so sa Thursday siguro mas tatrabahuin pa namin ng husto, papasok ng semis,” said head coach Sherwin Meneses after their 11th win in as many games.
Creamline will face the fourth-ranked Chery Tiggo (8-3) in the best-of-three semis.
In their previous encounter during the eliminations, the Crossovers managed to snatch a set away from the Cool Smashers, losing 22-25, 26-24, 20-25, 16-25, last November 28.
Against Chery Tiggo – led by the Laure sisters Eya and EJ, Mylene Paat, Jasmine Nabor, and Shaya Adorador – Meneses emphasized that his team cannot afford a slow start akin to the one they experienced against the 1-10 Galeries.
Game 1 is scheduled for Thursday, while Game 2 is set for Saturday. If the series reaches sudden death, it will be played next Tuesday.
“Importante talaga is yung mindset namin na maganda yung laro namin sa Thursday at Saturday. Focus muna sa semifinals then titignan namin kung ano talaga magagawa namin sa semifinals. Mag-iimprove pa naman yung team. Hindi pa naman tapos yung labanan,” said Meneses.
