Creamline completed its sweep of the elimination round after beating Galeries Tower in four sets, 19-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-13, to clinch the number one seed in the Premier Volleyball League Second All-Filipino Conference semis, Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.
The Cool Smashers bucked a slow start before dominating the Highrisers in the next three to end the eliminations with a perfect 11-0 record and set a date with fourth seed Chery Tiggo in the semifinals.
“Congrats (sa) mga players namin kasi nga yung sa elimination naka11-0 kami pero syempre yung goal namin is mas mataas pa sa eliminations so sa Thursday siguro mas tatrabahuhin pa namin ng husto, papasok ng semis,” said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses.
Following its first set defeat against Galeries, the Cool Smashers stepped it up a notch in the following frames before dominating the fourth set, putting up an 11-point lead courtesy of Michele Gumabao’s backrow attack to give her side a 20-8 lead.
The Highrisers never recovered from there with Rizza Mandapat and Bernadeth Pons sealing the final hits that ended the game after an hour and 45 minutes.
“Yung lahat ng challenge talagang i-accept namin. Ayun, importante talaga is yung mindset namin na maganda yung laro namin sa Thursday at Saturday,” added Meneses.
Jema Galanza top scored of the Rebisco-backed squad with 12 points while Pons added 10 points and 12 excellent receptions, making up for the absence of team captain Alyssa Valdez (rest).
Jeanette Panaga, Rosemarie Vargas, and Tots Carlos chipped in eight points apiece while Lorie Bernardo had seven markers.
Creamline flaunted its prowess above the net, unleashing 51 attacks against the opposing side’s 28 to dominate the spiking department.
Meanwhile, the also-ran Highrisers capped off the tournament at 11th place with a 1-10 slate.
Roma Joy Doromal, who starred in Galeries’ previous win over Gerflor, scored a team-high 13 points on 11 attacks and two blocks. No other player reached double digits in scoring for the Highrisers.
